Crosswinds of Fate
by WayFarer2000
Summary: "You should think of this as an opportunity to learn about a completely different method of applied thaumaturgy," Zelretch explained. He then sighed and lamented, "For shame, to be cursed with such an ungrateful apprentice..."
1. Summer Preparations

Disclaimer: Fate/Stay Night and other elements of the Nasuverse are owned by TYPE-MOON. Harry Potter and related elements are owned by J. K. Rowling.

Timeline notes:

- Nasuverse: Fifth Grail War occurred in 2002 (Timeline Mk I), Unlimited Blade Works route, Good End. Holy Grail is dismantled in 2012.

- Potterverse: Begins June of 1995, soon after the end of the Triwizard Tournament.

**Summer Preparations**

_2012, September 17th, Monday, in a Nasuverse..._

Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, master of great magics related to the multiverse, waited patiently for a response from his apprentice of eight years.

"You want me to do what?" Rin deadpanned in disbelief.

"I believe you heard me the first time," Zelretch replied.

Rin rubbed her temples in frustration. "I just finished destroying the Holy Grail and now you spring this on me?"

"Well," Zelretch drawled, "given that you just tragically destroyed one path to accomplishing a True Magic, I am giving you a chance to experience another one."

"Don't call it 'tragic'! It is because of your half-assed preparations that allowed the Holy Grail to become corrupted in the first place. Charisma Sensei and I were cleaning up the mess you started centuries ago!" Rin retorted. "And now you want me to move to another dimension?"

"You should think of this as an opportunity to learn about a completely different method of applied thaumaturgy," Zelretch explained. He then sighed and lamented, "For shame, to be cursed with such an ungrateful apprentice..."

"Ungrateful?! I'll show you ungrateful, you bloodsucking-" Rin was silenced by a hand clamped on her mouth, restraining not only her words but also her attempt at throttling the Dead Apostle Ancestor.

"Now, now, Tohsaka-san. Please don't anger the super-powerful entity," Sakura pleaded to her sister. "Saber, some help, please?"

Saber held a hand on her master's shoulder. "Rin, calm down."

Seeing his apprentice effectively held in place, Zelretch continued. "As I was saying, the spellcasters of this dimension work their magecraft differently. It is so different, in fact, that it would take decades if not centuries to unravel their Mysteries. Thus, I am tasking you to begin researching their thaumaturgy for a few years. Not only is this a lucrative academic opportunity, it will also give the Mage Association some time to calm down from your latest escapade."

Rin had the grace to blush. "That was Edelfelt's fault!"

"Yes, yes, whatever. I won't pretend to understand women even after millenia of living. Or unliving, I suppose. Anyways, I will give you the meta-reality coordinates of that dimension, along with the proper runic circle diagrams; I assume you are at least competent enough to get there with those tools. If you find yourself in need of someone bailing you out from yet another one of your totally-not-your-fault screw ups, feel free to use the Kaleidostick to beg me for help. Understand that if you do so I will have full mocking rights."

"I will carve your eyes out and make you watch as I feed them to a dog," Rin snarled.

"And how, pray tell, will I watch anything after you carve my eyes out?" Zelretch inquired with a raised eyebrow. He then sighed and lamented, "For shame, to be cursed with an illogical apprentice..."

Rin's only response was to renew her futile struggles.

"One last thing. That dimension is seventeen years behind this one," Zelretch said. "If you would be so kind, try not to pollute their timeline with 'future' knowledge."

Taking a deep breath, Rin calmed herself in order to analyze the situation. This actually was a great opportunity, though at the same time she could not bring herself to completely trust Zelretch. More than likely, he had an ulterior motive in mind. Still, he raised a good point with the Mage Association. Stupid Luviagelita! Shirou was hers! And stupid Shirou for being so gar! Attracting every freaking woman he meets...

Ahem.

Anyways, there did not seem to be much of a decision to make, as it would not be wise to pass up this opportunity. Rin finally responded to her teacher, "Fine, I'll go, but not alone."

- o -

_1995, June 28th, Wednesday, in a Potterverse..._

"Please, come in and have a seat, Harry," Dumbledore invited warmly.

Harry entered the office and took the proffered chair. He attempted to school his features to hide the cumulative stress from the past year and the events from a few days ago.

Dumbledore continued. "I asked you here to discuss several topics. I apologize in advance in that some of this discussion is, shall we say, not-so-pleasant news."

Harry looked into Dumbledore's gaze and hazarded a guess. "I take it the Minister still doesn't believe us?"

The headmaster released a tired sigh as he removed his spectacles to clean them. "Indeed, that is one of the topics, and your suspicion is correct. Minister Fudge has achieved magnificent levels of stubbornness regarding this, and I am afraid that no amount of persuasion will turn him around. In fact, I have come to believe that he will take further actions against me and attempt to strip my titles as Chief Warlock and Supreme Mugwump, on the basis of undermining the Ministry or some such nonsense."

"He can do that?!" Harry exclaimed.

"It is an unfortunate truth that wealth and connections can accomplish many things that should not be accomplished. But do not worry, Harry. My titles are not of concern to you. I merely wanted to apprise you of the situation. Now, we need to discuss your summer plans. Do you remember why I insist you stay with your family?"

"Yes, for the blood protection."

"Quite so. You saw proof of that protection your first year, which I believe vindicates my decision."

Memories of immolating Quirrell flashed in Harry's mind. As traumatic as that experience was, he was able to see past that and understand Dumbledore's reasoning. Had Harry lived someplace else more pleasant after his parents' death, he most likely would have died at the end of his first year. It was a very bitter truth to accept, but with Voldemort's resurrection a few days ago, he had spent much time thinking about bitter truths.

"But unfortunately," Dumbledore continued, "things have changed."

Harry frowned in thought. What could have changed? With Voldemort back, Dumbledore would be even more insistent that he live with his relatives. Did the Dursleys move? Without telling him? Well, Harry did not put that possibility past the Dursleys. Would the blood protection move from that house?

Wait... blood protection...

"The ritual. Voldemort took my blood," Harry said. "The blood protection is gone. He even touched me in the graveyard."

"Yes, you are correct. Five points to Gryffindor. As much as I wish it otherwise, you are now as defenseless against Voldemort as everyone else," Dumbledore answered. "Now, there is the remote possibility that the blood protection can be renewed if you were to stay with your relatives. However, it would be irresponsible of me to place you in a location of risk on a mere possibility. If you insist on staying there, then I-"

"No! I don't insist, whatsoever," Harry interrupted.

Dumbledore suppressed a grimace. "I am truly sorry, Harry, that you had to endure such hardship through your childhood."

Harry paused for a moment, before responding carefully. "I think I finally understand why you did it. You could have done _better_, a _lot_ better." Harry really, _really_, wanted to unload ten years of frustration at his headmaster, but the death of Cedric and his recent experience under the Cruciatus curse held the forefront of his mind. "But that's not important now. Where are you putting me this summer?"

"Well, my suggestion would be for you to stay at the Burrow. I am certain Arthur and Molly would love to have you there. William has opted to stay in England, and, seeing as he is a curse breaker, I have the utmost confidence that he will give the Burrow some impressive magical protections."

Harry suppressed the initial excitement that coursing through him. A summer without the Dursleys! Maybe even a lifetime! This was tempered by the fact that the most dangerous wizard in the world was out to murder him. Staying with the Weasleys, while enjoyable, would also place them at risk. Considering other options, Harry put forth another choice. "Could I stay with Sirius? I don't want to the Weasleys to be in danger."

Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak, but then stopped before saying anything. Sitting back in thought, he mulled over Harry's suggestion seriously. "I had not considered that, but I believe that can work." A few more seconds of deliberation passed, before he continued, "Yes, yes, that can work. Sirius is currently staying at a secure location, so it should be safe for you as well. He most definitely would like the company. Tell me, Harry, would you be adverse to having Remus stay with you as well? As talented as Sirius can be, I'd like the extra protection for you."

"Professor Lupin? No, that would be wonderful," Harry responded honestly.

"Well, then, I think that is settled. I do have one rule I must insist you follow," Dumbledore said with gravity. "You must be escorted at all times if you venture outside. This is, in fact, a large part of why I asked regarding Remus. I am not intending you to be a prisoner for the summer, but you, of all people, have a measure of how far Voldemort intends to harm you."

Harry nodded in understanding. "I'll be careful, and I won't sneak out or anything like that."

"Very good. If you do go out, take your cloak with you, just in case. Also, remember that Peter Pettigrew knows about Sirius's animagus form. Please ask Sirius and Remus to brush up on their glamour charms, so that all of you can be disguised if you venture out."

Thinking for a moment, Harry asked, "Can we have some emergency portkeys? I was only able to escape the graveyard because of that."

Dumbledore looked at Harry carefully. "That is an excellent idea, but unfortunately there is a complication with that." The headmaster reached into his desk and withdrew three pairs of scissors. "You see, portkeys are regulated by the Ministry, and unauthorized creation of portkeys is frowned upon." He then waved his wand, Transfiguring the scissors into simple metal combs. "So, if I were to, say, Charm these combs into portkeys that activate upon touch, then the Ministry would be most upset with me." Dumbledore waved his wand again, causing each of the combs to glow momentarily.

Harry looked up from the combs. "I understand, Headmaster." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he further Transfigured three leather pouches to contain the touch-activated portkeys. He smiled as he handed the items to his student.

"Now, on to the final topic." Dumbledore took a moment to compose his request. "What I am about to ask you will most likely be unpleasant, but I hope that you would be willing to help me in this regard."

"Um, sure, Headmaster," Harry responded hesitantly.

Dumbledore stood up and walked toward his pensieve, gesturing to Harry to follow. "I was hoping that you would give me your memory of what happened when you touched the Triwizard Cup and afterwards in the graveyard. This will be of no harm to you; I will not be affecting your memory at all. I will merely make a copy of it to keep here so that it can be analyzed in detail."

Harry was understandably wary of the request. "Will you show anyone else?"

"If you wish for this information to be discrete, I will try my utmost to do so," Dumbledore replied.

"No, that's not what I meant," Harry clarified. Taking a breath, he continued, "I was thinking that Mr. Diggory would like to see what happened."

Dumbledore gazed at Harry, eyes twinkling. "I must say, Harry, that is very mature of you. I will pass the information to Mr. Diggory, though I should state that he may refuse, which is of course quite a reasonable decision to make."

"Um, along with that," Harry said, as he withdrew a bag from within his robes. "Cedric was co-champion, so I think his family should get half the prize. Could you give this to them?"

Dumbledore took the bag solemnly. "I will make sure Mr. Diggory receives this." After placing the money away, the two began extracting the memory.

- o -

_2012, December 19th, Wednesday, in a Nasuverse..._

"Senpai, do you have everything packed?" Sakura asked as she walked into Shirou's workshop with Rider following.

"Yes," Shirou replied. "Is Rin ready?"

"I think she is double-checking our monies so we do not accidentally use a 'future' bill or currency. Although truthfully there is no guarantee that the other dimension will have the exact same currency as ours."

"I thought we were exchanging everything into jewels and gold?" Shirou asked.

"We did for most of our savings, but it would be convenient to have actual money while we first settle down, on the off chance that the currencies would be usable."

"Ah, that makes sense," Shirou acknowledged, and then looked around. "I'll miss this home."

"And I will miss the kitchen," Saber added. Not that she used it, but everyone knew what she meant.

"I hope it stays in one piece," Shirou said.

"Senpai's home should be fine until we get back. Taiga-sensei will be watching over it," Sakura reassured them.

The others gave her a dry look.

"Well, we we can always hope..." Sakura trailed off.

Just then, Rin entered with the last of her belongings. "Okay, everyone ready?" Nods came from the other four. "Alright. We are supposed to go to England. If all goes well, we should arrive in a remote location near a ley line. I will be using the Kaleidostick in conjunction to everything else to get there. After we arrive, I want someone to immediately knock me out and get the Kaleidostick away from me. Anyone who mentions anything about cat ears will be shot."

_*sweatdrop*_

- o -

_1995, July 3rd, Monday, in a Potterverse..._

"Kreacher!" Sirius shouted. "That's it. I've had enough." Taking off a sock, Sirius gave his final commands to Kreacher, preventing the elf from ever revealing secrets or betraying them. He then tossed the article of clothing on Kreacher, freeing him from the Black family forever. The elf immediately teleported away with a pop, but made a stop to a certain cabinet and pick up a certain locket.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Harry," Sirius apologized, waving his wand to dispose of the poisoned portions of their breakfast. Sirius was not going to allow an attempted murderer to stay with his godson.

"It's fine, Sirius," Harry assured. A few days had passed since Remus picked him up from the 9 ¾ platform, and the three males had settled into a routine. Morning consisted of cleaning the gloom and doom of the house, in preparation for more wide scale remodeling. In the afternoons Harry had insisted on training in dueling. He firmly believed that if he had been better prepared, Cedric would have made it out of the graveyard trap alive. Evenings were essentially free time, though Remus politely suggested that Harry use that time to finish his summer homework early.

Switching the topic away from the hated elf, Sirius asked, "So, you said that the Weasley kid will be over today?"

Harry nodded as he filled his plate with remaining non-poisoned breakfast. "I told Ron to tell Mrs. Weasley that Moony is offering tutoring. With us taking the OWLs this year, it should be enough to convince her. And it's not really a lie, since Moony," Harry explained, nodding towards Remus, "is technically teaching us Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Poking a sausage link with a fork, Remus interjected at this point. "I hope he'd be willing to help out a little with the cleaning. I'm ashamed to say, but those Weasley kids probably know more cleaning Charms than we do, considering their mother."

"Heh, that'd be nice. And we'll have to keep silent about any casting you kids do," Sirius responded. "Really, though, I'm not sure why the entire family doesn't simply stay over. I mean, with the You-Know-Who out there and all."

"The idea was bandied around, but I think Dumbledore said something about not putting all your eggs in the same basket. I suppose it makes sense to have two safe havens instead of just one," Remus explained. "But you just want her to clean this place for you."

"Nah, not really. Knowing Molly, she wouldn't let the children use magic, for training or cleaning or whatever." Turning a sly look to Harry, Sirius asked, "What about your pretty lady friend?"

Instantly reminded of the Yule Ball, Harry tried to mentally shake away the incredibly hot images of Hermione from his mind. This didn't help much because they were then replaced with incredibly hot images of Cho. "Hermione will be coming along with Ron. While her parents work in the day, she'll take the Knight Bus to the Leaky Cauldron, and then take the floo to the Burrow. And speaking of underage magic, we'll have to convince Hermione that we need to do it and can do it without getting caught."

"I am noting that you did not deny that she is pretty," Sirius teased.

"Oh sod off, Padfoot. We're just friends," Harry retorted as he brought up his cup of juice to drink.

"Sure you are."

Finishing his gulp, Harry asked, "Didn't you say my parents argued with each other all the time before they got together?"

"Oh yeah, Lily could never stand James, the first few years."

"Is it like how Hermione argues with Ron?" Harry pointed out.

This brought Sirius up short. Remus chuckled at his expression.

- o -

_1995, July 6th, Thursday, in a Potterverse..._

Seated in a comfortable chair, Saber looked up from her book, _Hogwarts: A History_, as the door to their magically expanded family suite at the Leaky Cauldron opened. It had not taken Rider long to find the large magical signature of Diagon Alley. Posing as foreigners (technically true), the inter-dimensional travelers quickly acquired a place of lodging at the popular Leaky Cauldron, before exploring this world's magic society. Luckily they were able to exchange their home world currencies in this world with no issue.

Sakura and Rin entered the room, the former more gracefully while the latter plopped down onto a seat in obvious frustration. Following them in, Rider materialized from her astral form, which she took whenever she went out.

"What happened?" Shirou asked from the table, also looking up from his reading. Sakura sat down next to him.

Rin groaned. "Three hours, and neither of us could find a matching wand. 'The wands chooses the witch,' he said. Sounds like a fourth-rate wizard to me."

"Now, Rin, that's not nice." Sakura chided hesitantly. Referring to Rin by her first name was somewhat uncomfortable, but Japanese name suffixes do not carry well over to English. "I'm sure Mr. Ollivander tried his hardest, and he was very regretful we could not find wands," Sakura admonished.

Giving up on arguing, Rin stood and approached the table where Shirou sat. "Did you finish the _Muggle's Guide to Magical Britain_ packet, Shirou? I'd like to return it to the bookstore to get some money back."

"Yes. I'll get to _Hogwarts: A History_ after Saber finishes it. In the meantime, I'm looking into Transfiguration."

"Find anything interesting?" Rin asked.

"Yes," Shirou replied. "In our world, same-matter Transfiguration and Projection are results of applied Reinforcement. In this world, Transfiguration is much more advanced as it can easily cross different types of chemical elements. They also categorize Conjuration under Transfiguration, and I think what they call Conjuration is an advanced form of what we call Projection."

"Advanced?" Saber asked, suddenly intrigued. Though not magi, the two Heroic Spirits understood many of the underlying concepts of magecraft, having lived ten and eight years with the others. More specifically, they knew that Shirou's ability to Trace was an advanced form of Projection. "How advanced?"

"I don't think they know how to Trace," Shirou answered. "But their Conjurations last a _lot_ longer than ours. As in days or weeks. And apparently they can transfigure and conjure living entities with a one-line aria and a bit of wand waving."

"What?!" Rin yelled, leaning over Shirou's shoulders. Shirou immediately flipped to the page with that information. Rin frowned at what she read. "This doesn't tell us how it works. Are there any formulas or explanation on spell theory?"

"Uh, I haven't gotten to advanced spell theory yet. But I did see this," Shirou replied as he flipped to another section in the book.

_**Transfiguration = ((w * c) / (v * a) ) * Z**_

_(w = wand power, c = concentration, v = viciousness, a = weight, Z = unknown factor)_

"Viciousness?" Rin asked aloud. "Why in the world does viciousness matter in spellcasting?"

"I think that only applies to Transfigurations involving living entities, whether the source or the result," Shirou answered. "It doesn't explain _how_ they transfigure non-living matter into a living creature."

Sakura interjected, "In our world, I believe I heard about a doll-maker that can instill life into her creations. Perhaps it is something similar? Or maybe they are creating temporary homunculi?"

"That's not what impresses me," Rin clarified. "It's not what they can accomplish; it's the fact that they can do it so quickly, easily, and more effectively." She mused over the formula a bit more. "So, we can classify their wands as Mystic Codes of the amplification type. But that's not enough to explain this. Even if I used my jewels, I would not be able to perform their Mysteries so easily."

"That's probably what Z is for. They have something we don't," Shirou said.

"I think you are underestimating the factor of their wands," Rider stated. Everyone turned to her, so she elaborated. "All spellcasters here have a wand; I do not think that is a coincidence. Furthermore, I witnessed someone teaching someone else a new spell, simply by stating the incantation and showing wand movement. No theory. On the other side of the coin, I have yet to see anyone perform wandless magic aside from a few minor things."

Saber added her thoughts to the conversation. "In _Hogwarts: A History_, it states that wandless magic is rare. Only the more powerful spellcasters can perform wandless magic, with the notable exception of accidental magic in children. The assumption is that the onset of puberty changes their magic in such a way that they become dependent on wands."

"The fact that wandless magic is possible, even if it is limited to the more powerful spellcasters, should indicate that there is another factor beyond the wands," Rin concluded. "Still, if we were able to use wands, it should give us insight into what's missing between our magic and theirs."

- o -

_1995, July 7th, Friday, in a Potterverse..._

Ron jolted awake.

Blinking his eyes, he tried to get his bearings. Next to him he saw Remus standing over him with his wand out. _Ah, he revived me_. "Thanks, Professor Lupin."

"Not bad, Ron. You need to work on the wand movement a bit more," Remus stated. "Levicorpus is a fairly useful spell in dueling, so you should practice it to the point that you do not need to think about the wand movement. Pranking someone with this spell is different from chaining it in a dueling situation."

Ron nodded in acknowledgement before turning to look at the others training. On to another side, Harry and Sirius were dueling each other, with Hermione watching over them, her face etched with concern. After a few days of training, Hermione had confided her worries in Ron, and now he was able to confirm those worries.

Harry was getting obsessed.

Diligent study was one thing, but Harry's efforts exceeded even Hermione's levels of hard work (which Ron firmly believed also fell under the category of "obsessed"). At that moment, Harry was drenched in sweat and hurling spells vigorously. Sirius, being more experienced, handled his defense with no issue, but even he seemed to be somewhat cautious of Harry's intensity.

Eventually, though, Sirius managed to finesse a spell chain in between Harry's attacks, ending with a Stunning Spell. After reviving Harry, Sirius calmly gave his evaluation. "You're a natural, Pup. Your aim is spot on, and you got a lot of power behind your spells. The thing is, you keep shouting all of your incantations, so I know exactly what you will be casting. So, I think you should work on your silent casting."

"But that's sixth year level," Hermione pointed out. "Are we ready for that?"

"Doesn't matter," Harry said while panting in exhaustion. His heart rate still beat rapidly despite just being revived. "We need to learn it. What do we have to do?"

"Well," Sirius answered, "the classes teach a lot of garbage nobody really understands. What it basically comes down to is that you just have to keep trying to casting spells silently and hope they work."

"That is a textbook example of a cop-out answer," Harry retorted.

"I'm serious!" Sirius exclaimed.

"We know," everyone else groaned.

"Unfortunately, Sirius is pretty much correct," Remus explained. "No one has solidified an actual theory as to how silent casting works, or why some spells are easier to cast silently than others. The only trend wizards have noticed is that it is easier to cast silently for spells you are already good at. So if you have difficulty casting a particular spell silently, try getting very good at casting it normally first. It is not guaranteed to work, mind you, but often it helps."

"Oh, silent casting is weaker than normal casting," Sirius added. "So for a given spell, you are basically sacrificing power for deception. It's usually worth it in a fight, though. Some spells, like the Shield Charm, you can get away with casting verbally since shouting it out doesn't really provide the opponent with an advantage. And you really don't want the Shield Charm to fail, so it's probably better to do it verbally. You should concentrate mainly on casting offensive spells silently. Oh, and the Finite spell, in case you get silenced."

"But if we do get silenced, we will still need to perform the Shield Charm silently," Hermione countered.

"True. I am more talking about how to use them during a fight. If you can get away with chanting _Protego_, then do so because it will be stronger," Sirius answered.

"Right, well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm beat," Ron declared. "How about we take a break from training and go flying for a bit, back home?"

"You go ahead," Harry stated. "I want to get started on silent casting."

Ron shared a meaningful look with Hermione before he continued, "Look, mate, you need a break. You need to get out of here. Sirius too. This place is depressing. Heck, I bet Hedwig would rather fly at the Burrow than here in the city with all the pollination in the air."

"Pollution, Ron," Hermione corrected with a face-palm.

Much to Ron's delight, Hedwig suddenly flew and landed on Harry's shoulder. Looking at his familiar for a moment, Harry gave up the argument. "Okay, let's go to the Burrow."

- o -

_1995, July 12th, Wednesday, in a Potterverse..._

Tom was quite happy with latest two employees of the Leaky Cauldron. Shirou and Sakura both seemed willing to perform any task, no matter how mundane. The fact that both of them often do things the muggle way added to their usefulness, as that meant they could work out in the open floor with no issue.

It was strange, though, how they rarely used magic and seemed not to know much about wizarding life; he almost considered them to be squibs. Still, they did perform magic a few times. Activating the entrance to Diagon Alley. Upgrading the muggle-repelling charm on said entrance to be self-sustaining, but made tunable so that muggle parents could still go through. And they even added a "Bounded Field" that they claimed to detect ill intent. Tom was skeptical of this at first, until he heard the warning bell ring and saw someone attempting to sneak off with a bottle of wine. That alone made him give the foreigners a deep discount to their stay.

Now, though, the two had presented to him a few dishes to sample. They claimed to be adequate chefs and asked to increase their duties to include cooking. Taking a spoon of the soup they prepared, Tom took a taste.

Oh.

Oh my.

He was quite happy with these two.

- o -

_1995, July 14th, Friday, in a Potterverse..._

Dumbledore retrieved the letter from the owl. Reading the brief contents, he nodded to himself; the sender had agreed to the proposed meeting a few days hence. Putting the letter down, he reached for the next owl that had arrived and withdrew the Daily Prophet. Looking at the headlines, the headmaster grimaced.

Harry did not have a good history of handling bad press.

- o -

_1995, July 15th, Saturday, in a Potterverse..._

"It's the Age of Gods," Rin announced in awe.

Her four companions turned to look at her.

"One, the high level miracles they produce so easily," Rin listed excitedly. "Two, I bet their usage of Latin qualifies as High-Speed Divine Words, despite how ridiculous that sounds. Three, the Phantasmal creatures. I think this dimension is still in the Age of Gods, or something close to it."

"That... makes a certain amount of sense," Saber conceded. Sakura went to retrieve one of the many books they brought along from their home dimension.

"So what does that mean?" Shirou asked.

"It means we can learn about honest-to-goodness lost miracles," Rin said excitedly.

"But we can't cast any of this stuff because we're not from the Age of Gods," Shirou responded.

This gave Rin some pause.

"Shirou may be correct. That might explain why we cannot use their wands. Maybe only spellcasters from the Age of Gods can use them," Sakura added. She starting flipping through the book looking for relevant sections.

"However," Rider interjected, "the Age of Gods was more than simply humans being able to perform greater feats. The existence of Phantasmal creatures is evidence that the Age of Gods interacts with reality at the world level, not just at a human level. And, you know, actual Gods walking amongst mortals."

She had experience with that.

"Well, I've seen no mention of Gods in the books, so maybe they are invisible or posing as rare creatures like this fabled Crumpled-Horn Snorkack. But you raised two good points, Rider. Firstly, if I'm right, then we definitely have to be on guard for Gods," Rin stated. "As for your other comment, for the sake of analysis, we should separate the world and humans. Age of Gods spellcasters versus Age of Man spellcasters, and Age of Gods world versus the Age of Man world. That gives us four combinations."

"One: Age of Man spellcasters with the Age of Man world," Sakura volunteered. "That would be our world, which we understand the best."

"Two: Age of Gods spellcasters in an Age of Gods world," Rin continued. "Our working theory is that this world qualifies as that."

"Three: Age of Gods spellcasters in the Age of Man world," Saber said. "Caster may be an example of this. She successfully used Age of Gods spellcasting despite being in a our world. However, being a Heroic Spirit, she might be an exception, though I somehow doubt it. On the other side of the coin, she may have been handicapped because it was an Age of Man world, and we simply did not realize it."

"Four: Age of Man spellcasters in an Age of Gods world," Shirou finished. "That would be us, in this world, if our theory is correct."

Rin grimaced. "Well damn, and here I was so proud to have fought Caster. Turns out she may have been handicapped."

Saber admonished, "Master, you fought a Heroic Spirit entirely on your own and effectively won. Do not belittle this accomplishment."

Sakura coughed slightly, getting everyone's attention. "With regards to Combination Four, Rin, Shirou, have you noticed anything different with your spells?"

"The prana consumption is the same," Shirou responded, "but I noticed I can use Reinforcement much more easily, even on more complex items. And my Projections last longer, though not on the same scale as the spellcasters here."

"The same with me," Rin responded. "Same prana cost, but increased effects. Though in the case of supporting Saber, since it's a constant drain, the amount has decreased as due to overall effectiveness."

"So, during the Age of Gods," Sakura said, while skimming the book from their home dimension, "the theory is that ether was more prevalent in its existence. That would imply any magecraft we perform should be easier or more effective. I think this counts as additional evidence to your theory, Rin."

"You have forgotten another important aspect of the Age of Gods," Rider pointed out. "Humanity as a whole was stronger back then, including non-magicals. We should be seeing signs of heroes or some equivalent clue."

"I have not seen anything to suggest that here," Saber stated. "The non-magicals in this world seem the same as ours."

"Alright, how about a partial Age of Gods, where only the magical world is affected?" Rin amended.

"That is a fairly shaky hypothesis," Sakura replied. "Really, Rin, ignoring evidence in front of you so that you can still posit your theory is unlike you."

"Well, we're here to analyze magic, not the world in general. I acknowledge there may be a few holes, but for the time being I'm going forward with this theory. There's too much that matches up to be mere coincidence." Rin thought for a moment before grimacing. "But even though we're better here than at home, we're still not good enough to use Age of Gods magic," she groaned in frustration and jealousy. "That means all the wizards and witches in this world have so much more potential than us."

"Actually, now that I think about it some more, I change my mind," Shirou responded. Everyone turned to look at him. "I can use Noble Phantasms from the Age of Gods."

"Isn't that a just a special property of your Tracing? You lose this ability once the Noble Phantasm disappears. I'd rather not have to 'change modes' whenever I want to cast a particular spell; that sounds way too much like your idiotic nerve circuits."

"The point is that the _potential_ to use Age of Gods magic is in us. I'm guessing that it's just harder for us to achieve when compared to actual Age of Gods spellcasters," Shirou explained.

Rin snapped her fingers. "Shirou, trace a wand and its history. Then you can use it and explain to us how it works!"

"I tried, but I can only do weapons and armor," Shirou answered.

"But you can Trace Rule Breaker. That's not a real weapon," Rin complained.

"Actually, it counts as a weapon. And you don't need to cast a spell to use Rule Breaker. You just think of what magical binding you want to break and stab. It fulfills the concept of 'inflict damage with sharp or pointy section', which is enough to be a weapon."

"Ugh, okay, so what, do we have to find a wand that's also a physical weapon? Sharpen it up to a wooden point so that in addition to acting as a wand, it can also be used to stab people? Duct tape a table knife to it?"

"Not really. I've actually thought about this. Without getting down to the details, the short answer is that I probably won't be able to cast spells even if we found some sort of strange sword-wand combination thingy. There are two analogous precedents. One was an authentic rifle with a bayonet I saw in a museum. Two, I saw someone at the Mage Academy with a functional sword-gun. In both cases, I could not Trace either. I believe this is because I cannot Trace firearms. Since I cannot Trace wands, I'm going to guess the result is the same."

"Argh, damnit. Well, there goes that deus ex machina," Rin pouted.

"But back to my point, Rin," Shirou pressed on. "I think the potential exists in us."

"So, with the aid of the right Mystic Code or - in Shirou's case - Noble Phantasm, it might be possible for us three to use Age of Gods magic," Sakura theorized. "Though it might be limited in its versatility when compared to the wands of these wizards and witches."

"This means we can either spend our time here researching and documenting the magic used by the locals - which is our assigned task, by the way - or we can potentially waste our time attempting to craft Mystic Codes in hopes of allowing us to actually perform said magic, based on what is essentially flimsy conjecture," Rin summarized. "Which is nearly impossible, since I am sure there have been many magi back home who have tried this exact same method to reproduce Mysteries from the Age of Gods."

A period of silence permeated the group, before it was broken by Sakura. "You can do it, Nee-chan".

Rin blinked in surprise.

"If anyone can make that Mystic Code," Shirou encouraged with a sincere smile, "it would be you, Rin."

Blushing, Rin turned to the side. "We-well, of course I can. It's about time you recognized my genius!"

Ten years, and yet that reaction was still cute as hell.

- o -

_1995, July 17th, Monday, in a Potterverse..._

One particular early morning had Harry stumbling through the floo into Dumbledore's office. Recovering with as much dignity as he could, he looked around. The headmaster sat at his desk, and a severe woman with grey hair and a monocle sat on the opposite side. Fawkes perched at his usual spot, gazing at Harry steadily.

"Hello, Harry. Good of you to come by," Dumbledore greeted cheerfully.

"Hello, Headmaster," Harry returned before examining the other person more closely. Her posture and bearing reminded Harry of McGonagall, though this woman was younger than the Transfiguration professor. Her robes were of quality and seemed to be part of a uniform, but not ostentatious like Lucius Malfoy's robes.

Stupid Lucius Malfoy. Stupid graveyard.

"Harry, allow me to introduce the director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Madame Amelia Bones. Director Bones, this is Harry Potter," Dumbledore introduced.

"Uh, hello Director Bones. Nice to meet you," Harry greeted nervously. His eyes darted to Dumbledore while he wondered if perhaps he was going to get in trouble for Underage Magic with his training the past two weeks.

"Hello, Mr. Harry Potter," Amelia returned cordially. "You probably know my niece, Susan? I believe she is in your year."

"Oh, in Hufflepuff? Yes..." Harry trailed off. Susan Bones was one of the many Hufflepuff students who wore the "Potter Stinks" badges, in a show of loyalty to Cedric.

Amelia raised an eyebrow. "That does not look like an entirely happy expression. Do you find Susan disagreeable for some reason?"

"No, no!" Harry replied much too hurriedly. At Amelia's suspicious expression, Harry's mind raced to find a something that would appease the woman. "Susan and I have never really talked with each other, honestly."

Amelia Bones did not get to her station without knowing how to take the measure of a person, and so she knew without a doubt the young man was hiding something. Before she could continue interrogating him, though, Dumbledore interrupted with a slight cough. "Please allow me to explain why I asked you both to be here. You see, Harry, I would like your permission to show the memory you gave me to Director Bones. And afterwards, if you could answer any questions the Director may have, that would be most appreciated," Dumbledore said.

Harry turned back to Amelia, losing all of his nervousness. "You believe us?" he asked in surprise and anticipation.

Amelia looked at Harry carefully again. "I am very interested in this memory," she responded neutrally.

"I shall take your eagerness as permission, Harry," Dumbledore said. "You may join us if you wish, though it is completely understandable if you would rather stay here."

"I can watch it," Harry replied. He already had nightmares of the incident several times, so he concluded that watching it again should not hurt. Modern psychology on post-traumatic stress syndrome suggests that this is the _completely wrong_ thing to do since this would be reinforcement of the events. But hey, Gryffindors charge forward and all that.

Soon enough, the three entered the memory to witness the conversation between Harry and Cedric before they touched the cup that fateful evening. After watching the entirety of the graveyard events, the three returned to the room with much more somber moods. Dumbledore allowed for a few moments of silence, quietly pouring tea for everyone.

Amelia spoke first. "I am sorry, Mr. Potter, that you had to go through that. I would like to also commend you on your bravery and quick thinking."

"It wasn't enough," Harry muttered to himself.

"What do you mean?" she inquired.

Harry looked away in shame. "Cedric still died."

Amelia frowned. "Llisten. The one who trapped you two was Barty Crouch Jr. The one who killed Cedric was Peter Pettigrew."

"And the one who failed to protect Cedric was me," Harry finished.

"No, Harry," Dumbledore corrected. "The one who failed to protect Cedric was _me_." A weary sigh. "It is the responsibility of the school to take care of its students, not you. There is no reason for you have any culpability regarding this." Sensing that Harry would prefer the conversation to move away from feelings of guilt, Dumbledore guided the meeting forward. "Director Bones, if you have any questions, please, ask."

"Very well," Amelia said. "What was the phenomenon when the wands locked together? _Avada Kedavra_ is unblockable. Was that an effect unique to Harry Potter being the Boy Who Lived, or is there an actual way to block the Killing Curse?"

"An excellent question," Dumbledore responded. "Allow me to answer it. That phenomenon is called _Priori Incantatem_, which occurs when two brother wands cast against each other. This is a very rare effect. Both Voldemort's wand and Harry's wand have cores made from the same source. In their case, phoenix feathers from Fawkes."

"Why would this be a rare effect? Any two wands from the same creature should cause this to occur. We should be seeing this more often if, say, two wands were made from the hairs of the same unicorn," Amelia asked.

"Hmm..." Dumbledore mused for a bit before suddenly struck by an idea. "Perhaps 'brother wands' is poor phrasing, though I believe that is the actual nomenclature in standard wand-making literature. Allow me to give an analogy. You see, when a man and woman get together, they have a child."

Amelia and Harry looked at the headmaster with a bit of trepidation, wondering what type of lecture can start with that particular line.

"Now, if the same man and woman get together and have a second child, well, the second child is usually different. The facial structure, height, eye color, etc. Even gender could be different. Yet why is that? The sources of the genes is the same in the case of both children. So why would two instances of the same gene sources result in two different children? It is an everyday phenomenon, yet it is actually thought-provoking if you do not know the cause."

"I believe muggles have actually researched this process to a high degree," Amelia allowed. "But I think I understand your intention with this analogy. What you are suggesting, then, is that occasionally it _is_ possible for two children to be physically the same. It is unusual, but identical twins do exist. And analogously, two cores from the same source are brothers, but on occasion they are also twins."

"Precisely," Dumbledore confirmed with a smile. "So perhaps the best way to describe Priori Incantatem is when two _twin_ wands cast against each other, not brother wands. Unfortunately, as I mentioned earlier, wand-makers use 'brother wands' as the standard nomenclature."

Amelia considered the tactical ramifications of this. It would be trivial to ask Ollivander for the information on the wand cores of the known Death Eaters; he somehow remembered everything of that sort. However, finding a twin core would still be difficult, considering how rare they form. That being said... "Could Fawkes give us another twin feather? Or perhaps it should be called triplet feather. Having another wand that can lock up Voldemort would be extremely handy."

In response, Fawkes trilled a note of sadness.

"Well, it was worth a shot," Amelia sighed. Continuing, she asked, "Now, not only is this the resurrection of Voldemort, but the memory shows the identities of several Death Eaters. There were a few that I do not recognize, admittedly."

Of course! Harry berated himself for not thinking this earlier. "The one who performed the ritual was Peter Pettigrew! I can show you another memory that shows Sirius is innocent. And if you have Veritaserum, we can get-"

"Harry," Dumbledore interrupted. "Please be aware that the standing order to have Sirius Black Kissed on sight is still in effect. If Director Bones were to somehow learn of his current whereabouts or any possible leads, then she would be obligated to follow through with Ministry Law."

Wait... that... is he even trying to hide any secrets?

Processing this new knowledge instantly, Amelia turned to Dumbledore in confirmation. "Is this true?"

Dumbledore merely nodded gravely. "Harry had tried to convince Minister Fudge of this, but to no avail. Perhaps you would be willing to investigate with a more open mind?"

"Alright, we can view that memory in a bit, if Harry is willing. For now, I'd like some more clarification regarding why Voldemort felt the need to physically touch Harry. I heard what he said, but perhaps you two can shed some more light?"

"Oh," Harry responded. "We think he was proving that he can get around my mother's blood protection."

"Right. Do you know the specifics of this protection? Would we be able to reproduce it? Can we place it on someone else? I doubt Voldemort will make another body just to negate the protection yet again."

"I don't know. All I know is that it's how I survived the Killing Curse as a baby. And it protected me first year when Voldemort touched me."

"First year?" Amelia asked.

"Right. First year he possessed Professor Quirrell, and when he touched me he burst into flames."

Amelia looked at Harry. Then she turned to Dumbledore.

"Explain. _Now_."

- o -

At the same time that morning, Sakura finished her morning magical and physical exercises alongside her companions.

Eight years ago, after the defeat of Matou Zouken, Sakura joined Rin and Shirou for magical training. However, given Shirou's future lifestyle, anyone within his circle would need to have practical combat skills on top of Rin's strict requirements on magical prowess. Despite retaining Rider, Sakura did not want to be helpless in a life and death struggle, so she commenced combat training as well. While not at the same level as Rin nor Shirou, she could honestly claim to contribute positively in a battle situation.

After completing her cooldown breathing exercises, Sakura left their training room, which was originally one of the bedrooms. Rin and Saber took to bathing first, while Shirou started breakfast. Sakura began clearing the dining table of various study materials. One particular sheet of paper caught Sakura's eye; it summarized Rin's assignments that they had discussed the previous evening:

_- Rider: Magical Combat (practical), Gods / Age of Gods_

_- Saber: Magical Combat (practical), Wizard Law_

_- Shirou: Transfiguration, Potions, Mystic Code Crafting_

_- Sakura: Charms, Bounded Fields, Healing Magic_

_- Rin: All of the above, Spellcasting_

The task list reflected talents of each of the off-worlders. While Saber and Rider could not cast spells, they can do enough research to distill the knowledge to practicals for the other three magi. Having trained together for so long, everyone was familiar with everyone else's style of combat.

Rin would then learn everything based on the findings of the others, in addition to researching a way to allow the three magi to cast the magic of this world. Everyone recognized Rin's genius, so no one doubted her ability to handle such a difficult load.

This left out a few of the topics that was covered by Hogwarts, the preeminent educational institution in this world. Astronomy was of no interest since it apparently did not involve the aliens. Herbology and Magical Creatures would most likely be sufficiently covered with a purchase of an encyclopedia on each topic. Divination sounded vague and uncertain in the course description; only Shirou had a passing interest in the field. The magical aspect of arithmancy would be learned alongside the theory behind Charms and Transfiguration; the non-magical aspect barely touched upon trigonometry.

Runes apparently had no practical use in this dimension aside from ciphering; the basic Runic magic that Rin had learned (and taught to Shirou and Sakura) would be a complete surprise to the spellcasters of this world.

Finished with her cleaning, Sakura began setting the table with Rider's help. Shirou soon brought out servings for the three of them. With Sakura's and Shirou's work shift starting before long, they ate ahead of the others.

- o -

The three left the pensieve at the end of Harry's memory of his first year altercation. Unlike the somberness that the memory of the graveyard brought about, this time Amelia struggled to contain her fury. "Dumbledore, why has no one been notified of this?" she hissed.

The headmaster calmly walked to his desk as he answered, "That would have caused unnecessary pressure to be placed on Harry."

"Unnecessary pressure? That's your excuse?" Amelia demanded.

Dumbledore picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet before sitting down. "In the end, we had a dead body, and Harry's word as to what happened. Now, to put it bluntly, this year is the same: we have a dead body and Harry's word." He then held the headlines for the other two in the room to see:

_**The Boy Who Lies?**__ - by Rita Skeeter_

"From what Harry told me at the end of first year, Voldemort's shade was destroyed. While there may have been a possibility of him returning - after all, he did it once already - there was no proof after Professor Quirrell passed away. And with no proof, I concluded that no one would listen to us. Given Fudge's reaction now, I firmly believe my decision was correct. This article is not the worst of them, though we may perhaps be happy that the esteemed Skeeter has not published further on this topic."

Amelia closed her eyes as she pinched the arch of her nose in frustration. She had a responsibility to uphold the law, but at the same time she saw Dumbledore's point.

"The difference between then and now," Dumbledore continued, "is that Voldemort is back this time, which is why we are trying to announce this to the world. However, Fudge refuses to even see this memory, so I am trying my best to discretely work around him."

"Why discretely?" Harry asked.

The headmaster turned toward Harry. "Politics, unfortunately. If words gets around that I am showing your memory indiscriminately, the persons within the memory, such as Lucius Malfoy, would have sufficient standing to accuse both you and me for character defamation. Not only would this force me to stop, we could also be brought to trial."

"But the memory should be evidence," Harry pointed out.

"Ah, pensieve memories are not viable as evidence in our courts. It similar to the legal standing of Veritaserum..." Dumbledore trailed off for a second before turning to Amelia. "Perhaps, Director Bones, if you could educate Harry on this matter. I believe the lesson would be better received if it came from you."

Amelia decided to humor the request, if only to give her a minute to calm down. "Both pensieve memories and Veritaserum can be fooled. An individual with strong enough mental defenses would be able to create false memories or lie through the truth serum. Using either of these two in court would set bad precedents as well have unintended consequences."

"But couldn't they be used as supporting evidence?" Harry asked.

"We do, in the sense that we use Veritaserum during the course of an actual investigation. Pensieves, on the other hand, are exceedingly rare; the entire Ministry only has one, and the Department of Mysteries is most reluctant with parting with it. Both of these tools, however, are inadmissible in actual court for very good reasons," Amelia responded. "As an example, do you know about Lucius Malfoy's trial at the end of the previous war?"

"You mean how he lied and claimed to be under the Imperius curse while bribing his way through the courts?"

Amelia favored Harry a dry look. "I suppose you of all people have the right to speak in such a frank manner. Now, imagine how differently it would have turned out if Lucius took Veritaserum and successfully overcame the drug?"

Harry thought for a few moments before conceding. "Everyone would have believed him."

"Correct, his standing would be much more unassailable, instead of the suspicions some have now," Amelia confirmed. "To be truthful, Mr. Potter, there are many wizards and witches who think Veritaserum should be admissible in courts. It would allow us to correctly prosecute in many cases, but it would also allow those of high mental strength to escape. The same with pensieve memories."

Harry nodded in understanding. He was beginning to realize just how inexperienced he was in the legal arena, when his entire goal was to simply tell the world that Voldemort was back.

"Thank you, Director," Dumbledore said with a smile. "If you ever decide to retire from the DMLE, by all means we could use you as a Professor of the DADA."

"Don't try to charm me, Dumbledore," Amelia snapped. "Covering up a death is not to be taken lightly, no matter the extenuating circumstances. You may feel vindicated given the current events, but from my perspective you flagrantly disregarded the law. We _will_ be talking about this later."

Dumbledore nodded in weary acceptance.

"Now then, back to my original question," Amelia stated. "I realize this is a slight chance at best, but is there a way to duplicate the blood protections on Harry?"

"No, for two reasons. One, someone would need to sacrifice his or her life. Two, no one knows what Lily Potter actually did that evening," Dumbledore answered.

The questions from Director Bones kept firing at a rapid pace for several hours, which admittedly kept Harry off balance for quite some time. On the bright side, Harry felt that at least they had made progress. Given the shadow over his present life, Harry valued any ray of light, no matter how small.

- o -

That afternoon, Hermione waited patiently at a table in the Leaky Cauldron, jotting down notes from a book on Ancient Runes. With Harry meeting with the headmaster, Ron was forced to stay home by his mother to perform chores. Despite the lack of company of her two friends, Hermione had spent the day under the tutorship of Remus and Sirius to further her own preparations for the OWLs. Since her parents worked during the day anyways, she felt it reasonable to enjoy the company of fellow wizards and witches.

Today, though, Hermione had decided to leave the tutoring an hour earlier than normal to indulge in the new cuisine of the Leaky Cauldron. Tom had given some samples out earlier in the morning, and she absolutely had to return for a full meal.

If Ron ever found out she cut her studying in order to eat, she'd never hear the end of it.

Nonetheless, Hermione was so concentrated on her studies that she did not notice the waitress arriving until the soft thud of the steaming bowl of soba noodles reaching her table. Hermione looked up at her server, only to stare momentarily in shock. "By Merlin, your hair is gorgeous!"

"Thank you," the waitress replied with a smile.

"I'm sorry, that was rude and sudden of me," Hermione apologized. "It's just that I have never seen natural purple hair before."

"Ah, it is not natural," the waitress clarified. She glanced down at the runes written down on parchment before answering. "It is a result of a magical phenomenon."

"Oh, I see," Hermione said, glad to know whether or not her conversation partner was a witch. Or at least aware of the wizarding world. "Thank you for the food."

"You are welcome. I apologize for disturbing your studies."

"Oh, it's alright. I'm just translating this passage into runes. This exercise is good practice for the OWLs."

"Owls?"

"Ordinary Wizarding Levels," Hermione answered. Seeing the confusion, she explained, "Standardized testing for wizards near the age of fifteen."

"Ah, I see. Please forgive my ignorance, for I am a foreigner traveling these parts. I am merely working here for the time being." The waitress glanced at the parchment of runes again. "May I ask what you are translating?"

"It's a passage from Beowulf."

She frowned as she examined at the runes, before looking up at Hermione. "Are you required to do so with the Scandinavian variant of Elder Futhark? Or do you use the continental variant?"

Hermione froze at the question. This... was something of which she had never learned. "Uh, Scandinavian variant?"

The waitress used her index finger to trace the _Hagalaz (_ᚺ_)_ rune in mid-air, glowing blue and white in color. The precursor to the capital 'H' character, _Hagalaz_ had a slanted middle line which went downwards (from left to right) instead of the straight horizontal line.

"The Scandinavian variant only uses a single bar to connect to two vertical lines," she explained. She then made an additional slanted bar, making a ᚻ. "The continental variant uses a double bar. I thought perhaps you may wish to use the Scandinavian variant, since Beowulf is from that region."

Hermione stared transfixed at the mid-air rune, which somehow seemed to be pulsating with power, waiting to be unleashed. She had never seen someone drawing runes in such a fashion. And the waitress did it without a wand! Granted, she had seen many wondrous things since entering Hogwarts, but this runic character hovering in the air radiated... coldness?

"Furthermore," the waitress continued, "the original Beowulf manuscript was written in the more recent Anglo-Frisian futhorc, not Elder Futhark. It seems odd that you are translating 'back to' a runic system that the original manuscript was not even written in. That being said, the actual story of Beowulf takes place in the 6th century, during King Hrothgar's reign, which in that time Elder Futhark was still used. You are clearly using Elder Futhark, and thus not limited to the modern conventions of Anglo-Frisian futhorc. As for _Hagalaz_, the double-bar variant only evolved during the 7th century for Anglo-Frisian futhorc. Before that, the rune only had a single bar."

Hermione snapped out of her daze, switching from staring at the seemingly magical floating rune to the staring at the incredibly knowledgeable waitress. "I'm sorry, we never learned the Scandinavians had a different variant of Elder Futhark. I assumed it was a simple variation of writing the same character." She immediately started taking notes about what she just learned. "Are there any other runes with variations? And what you just did with that rune... it's not just a drawn character, right? I can feel the magic in it. Does it do anything else? How did you draw it wandlessly?"

The waitress smiled... mischievously? She then touched the hovering rune, somehow dissipating it as well as the chill in the air. "Ah, I apologize, I seem to be keeping you from your meal. Please enjoy!" she said brightly before suddenly turning away.

"Wait. Wait! Argh." Grrr. Hermione was certain the waitress did that on purpose! Hermione swore to get more answers out of the waitress the next time she comes around.

- o -

After several hours of questioning, along with the viewing of the memory concerning Sirius's innocence, the meeting with Director Bones eventually lost its momentum.

"Well, I think we all have much to think about after today's enlightening discussion," Dumbledore stated.

"Indeed," Amelia responded neutrally. Looking at the headmaster, she narrowed her eyes slightly. "However, I gather from your expression that you have more to share with us."

"Yes. Yes, there is." Turning to the third person in the room, he said, "Harry, during your first year, you asked why Voldemort is interested in you."

He nodded in acknowledgement. _Interested_ was an understatement.

"I said, back then, that I felt you should be free of this knowledge, so that you can enjoy your youth." Dumbledore sighed heavily. "But Voldemort's return has forced the issue, and you have demonstrated your ability to handle... dire situations, as it were."

Dumbledore paused to sip his cup of tea, while the other two waited impatiently.

"Before you were born, Harry, a prophecy was made. '_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies_.' And Voldemort knows of this prophecy."

"What?!" Harry and Amelia exclaimed simultaneously.

"And yes, the one that the prophecy refers to is Harry."

"But... That... I..." Harry trailed off in shock. "What?!"

"I am very sorry, Harry," Dumbledore apologized solemnly and sincerely.

"Sorry? _Sorry_?!"

Dumbledore and Amelia felt the hum of magical energy surge around Harry. The cups and plates of the tea set cracked from the outburst. Several of the metal whirring contraptions on a shelf spun erratically.

"What the bloody hell is this supposed to mean?!"

The metal contraptions burst and fizzled in small puff of sparks and smoke. Unweighted papers started floating in various directions from the the spontaneous winds circling the room.

"I have to kill Voldemort?!"

"But he did that already."

The floating papers dropped, and the contraptions stopped whirring. Both Dumbledore and Harry turned to Amelia, who had just spoken. Harry's tirade came to a halt, as he processed what she just suggested. Amelia calmly continued, "Fourteen years ago, Voldemort was vanquished, though not permanently, I suppose. Does that fulfill the prophecy?"

The visage Dumbledore wore did not bode well. "That was my first thought as well, after that evening. However, when I double-checked the Hall of Prophecies, I found the orb still there and active. And, also, there is more."

"More?" Harry repeated, falling back into his seat.

"Indeed. That is only the first portion of the prophecy."

Harry waited for the rest, wondering how else fate can screw him over.

"Harry," the headmaster continued. "I believe we should wait before you learn the rest."

"What? Why?" Harry demanded.

Dumbledore raised his hands in conciliation. "Please, Harry, allow me to explain. I ask that you trust me; I _will_ tell you the entire prophecy. The mitigating factor is that Voldemort only knows the portion that I have just revealed. He more than likely wants to gain knowledge of the remaining contents, now that you've bested him after his resurrection."

"So, you want me to keep it a secret?" Harry asked, thinking of his friends and Sirius.

"I would like you to, but that decision is yours, after you learn the entirety. No, what I am suggesting is that Voldemort may find a means to obtain that knowledge from you."

Harry frowned in confusion and frustration. "You think he'll strap me down and give me Veritaserum? Wouldn't he just kill me instead."

"Legilimency," Amelia stated. Harry turned to her in question, whereupon she answered, "The art of mind reading."

Dumbledore further explained, "Correct. Earlier, we spoke of mental defenses, strong enough to resist Veritaserum. This defense, known as Occlumency, is also used to guard your thoughts against external mental probes and attacks. I would like you to learn Occlumency before I tell you the prophecy. Voldemort may have spies anywhere; Crouch Jr. and Pettigrew have demonstrated this. While Legilimency is admittedly not commonly known, I have no doubt he has followers who are willing to perform the deplorable act of violating the mind of others."

Harry honestly did not know what to think or feel anymore. The day had been exhausting in of itself - in a good way - and then he gets blind-sided by a freaking prophecy of all things tying him to Voldemort, and if that wasn't enough now he had to deal with mind readers. What's next? Spiritual possession or something? No, wait, that already happened to Ginny.

But seriously, can this get any worse?

"I shall have Professor Snape tutor you in Occlumency."

#%$! #$^ *(#$ #$$# ^#

- o -

"I hope you enjoyed your meal," the purple-haired waitress said sincerely as she picked up the empty bowl.

"It was delicious," Hermione answered, but then hesitated. While earlier she had decided to grill the waitress with more questions, over the course of the meal Hermione's resolve wavered. On the one hand, she had realized one simply cannot demand another witch to explain their magics. On the other hand, passing up an opportunity to learn something new went against her modus operandi.

"Is there anything else?" the waitress asked with a knowing smile.

Asking politely is technically polite, right? Nevermind that she was justifying her behavior with tautologies; there was knowledge to obtain!

"What you did earlier, drawing the rune in the air..."

"Yes?"

"You had done more than simply draw a character, right?"

The smile turned mischievous again. "Perhaps."

Hermione paused awkwardly, unsure how to proceed. The other witch clearly clearly found this entire situation amusing, and Hermione doubted pestering the waitress with countless questions would help in obtaining any more information. Perhaps she could offer a big tip to bribe her?

The waitress, though, apparently decided to make the decision for her. Pulling a clean napkin from her apron, she placed it flat on the table. Using her finger, she traced the _Sowilo _rune _into_ it; this time the lightning-shaped character appeared in yellow and orange. After two seconds, the entire napkin glowed a soft yellow. Making a random object glow magically really was not that impressive, given all the wonders of magic Hermione had already seen. It can be done with a Charm or even dousing the object with a potion. However, to do so with a rune was a concept completely foreign to her.

Next, the waitress flipped the napkin over and traced the _Sowilo_ rune again into the napkin, but this time the character appeared in orange and red. And maybe the angles were sharper? She released the napkin, whereupon it burst into flames a few seconds later.

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows in thought. The same rune can have multiple effects? _Sowilo_ symbolized the sun, so that explained the glowing effect. Changing the color of the rune produces a fire effect? Or was it a combination of both the color and the angle of the line segments? Had she missed any other variables? Placement location? Stroke length? Was it normally silent, or was there an incantation and the waitress performed silent casting?

More importantly, why had she never seen something like this before? Hogwarts taught runes mainly to decipher ancient texts, as many old manuscripts were written before modern English. This included older spell books, literature, manuals, and - quite importantly - law records. However, runes themselves had no inherent magical property, as far as she knew.

Hermione looked up at the waitress, who was smiling softly. "How?" she asked.

"Magic has many forms," the waitress replied evasively.

- o -

"I take it you have reinstated your merry little band?" Amelia Bones inquired.

Harry had missed some of the conversation due to his stewing in anger at having learned of his forthcoming tutorship under Snape. He vaguely recalled giving permission for the headmaster to tell the entire prophecy to the director, since she apparently already knew Occlumency. However, the tone that Amelia just used brought his attention back to the meeting. She had asked the question casually, but Harry felt an underlying razor edge to it.

Dumbledore's pause spoke volumes.

"With the current stance the Ministry is taking at large, it would be difficult to find cooperation from there in our efforts to thwart Voldemort," he answered carefully.

"How diplomatic," Amelia voiced dryly.

Harry's eyes darted between the two formidable figures, unaware of the reason behind the tension. He had never seen the headmaster hesitate so much previous to this meeting; at the same time, the director's demeanor toward Dumbledore was unique. Most everyone Harry knew respected the venerable wizard. The professors expressed their thoughts and occasional disagreements, but always accepted his decision. As for those who oppose him, Voldemort had mocking condescension, whereas Lucius Malfoy had an aristocratic disdain. Fudge... well Fudge was an idiot so he didn't matter. Amelia Bones, however, had the ability to hold her own opinions, some of which agreed with Dumbledore, and some of which clearly did not, but most importantly she did not _yield_.

"Amelia..." Dumbledore began. "Edgar-"

"So will you be sending underage wizards to their deaths, this time?"

Dumbledore drew in his breath before responding. "Would it placate you if I promise not to recruit any underage wizards into the Order?" he offered.

Amelia kept her gaze steady on the headmaster, but otherwise said nothing. Harry, sensing the situation going nowhere quickly, decided to interrupt the standstill with a question. "Order...?" he asked. Both adults turned their attentions onto Harry, whereupon he realized just what a bad idea it was to interrupt a standstill between these two formidable individuals.

"The Order of the Phoenix, Harry," Dumbledore supplied. A pause before he continued, "You see, there is a reason why the wizarding world is afraid to even say Voldemort's name: it is not an exaggeration to say that most everyone who stood up against him perished. This includes many aurors, Ministry workers, and the common wizard and witch who bravely fought back against the Death Eaters. With such devastating losses on the side of the Light, I saw a need to rally what allies I could find, to fight back."

"And thus, the self-appointed vigilante group, known as the Order of the Phoenix, was formed," Amelia interrupted. "With moles and spies in the Ministry, including the Aurors, and Voldemort's followers as well, this independent group took the law into their own hands and made itself another faction in the War."

"That... is another perspective, I suppose," Dumbledore admitted.

Harry's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "My father and mother were in this Order, weren't they?"

"Indeed, they were. Out of respect for anonymity, I shall remain silent on the identities of other members, as it is not exactly safe to be a publicly known opponent of Voldemort."

"Were Sirius and Peter Pettigrew also in the Order?" Harry asked, despite the headmaster's statement.

"I suppose it would not harm anyone to reveal that yes, they were as well. Though of course Peter's membership is, shall we say, revoked," Dumbledore answered while stroking his beard.

"But if Pettigrew was in it, that would mean Voldemort already knows everyone that's in the Order," Harry concluded.

Dumbledore suddenly stopped stroking his beard.

Amelia raised an eyebrow at Harry.

"If you would do me a favor, Harry, and not mention this particular part of the conversation to Miss Granger. It fills me with regret that I am affirming her claim that wizards do not possess 'an ounce of logic' in them," Dumbledore finally allowed. "I must remember to remind the current members of Alastor's modus operandi: constant vigilance."

"I suppose you have re-enlisted Alastor," Amelia half stated, half inquired.

"Indeed, I have. While I did just state I would keep identities secret, I will not insult you, Director, by trying to hide this particular fact. Forgive me if I dissuade any attempts to re-enlist him back into the Aurors."

"Wait," Harry interrupted. His thoughts raced around. "You mean Professor Moody? The real Moody?"

"Yes, Harry. It will be to my eternal shame to have been fooled by Crouch for so long."

"Err.. right. Anyways, was it the real one who was supposed to be a professor, or was it Crouch who agreed to teach?"

Dumbledore regarded Harry curiously. "It was indeed the actual Alastor Moody who agreed to the DADA position, though that was last year. Crouch had... interfered between Alastor's acceptance and the start of the school year. However, with Voldemort back, Alastor prefers not to have obligations tying him down at Hogwarts, so he will not be returning this upcoming year to teach, if that is your concern."

"No, not that. If he actually agreed to teach students, then would he be willing to teach me Occlumency?" Harry asked hopefully.

"I am afraid, Harry, that your request would not be appropriate. While I am certain Alastor Moody, of all people in the world, would know Occlumency, he is still recovering from his ordeal. Being imprisoned in such a confined space can be very traumatic."

Harry stared at the headmaster in incredulity, before his expression turned nearly into a snarl. "I _know_," he growled out.

"That... was a poor choice of words, on my part. I apologize."

"I seem to be missing some context," Amelia interjected, drawing the attention of the other two.

Harry held Dumbledore's gaze for a few seconds before turning to Amelia. "It's something between the two of us."

Amelia's eyes narrowed. One does not simply tell the Director of Magical Law Enforcement to butt out.

Dumbledore coughed slightly. "We seem to have wandered off topic. Back to your request, Harry, I do not believe Alastor would be up to the task at the moment."

- o -

_1995, July 18th, Tuesday, in a Potterverse..._

"Moody!" Sirius exclaimed in surprise.

"Black," the grizzled auror responded as he stomped out of the Floo fireplace. He turned his head left, right, up, down while he magical eye turned in the opposite directions.

"What are you doing here?" Sirius asked. While Dumbledore had asked to use 12 Grimmauld Place as the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, Sirius had not actually hosted a meeting yet. The first meeting actually took place at Hogwarts two weeks ago.

"Going to teach Harry Occlumency."

"Wait, I thought Snape was going to teach. Not that I'm complaining mind you."

Alastor snorted. "As if I would let a Death Eater look into the mind of the Boy-Who-Lived. 'Former' my bloody arse. Don't know what Albus was thinking."

_*pop*_

"Honored Guest want so-AHHH!" Dobby screamed as he realized a wand was aimed between his eyes. In response, his arms snapped up in the classic surrender pose, which incidentally sent the tea, teacup and plate in his hand flying behind him.

"Damnit Moody, stop scaring the elf," Sirius admonished.

Before Alastor could respond, however, Dobby flung himself head first into the stonework making up the fireplace. "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby for making mess on floor. Dobby be punishing himself!" The elf then made good on his word and repeatedly smashed his head against the stone.

Alastor immediately spun with his wand, which had been pointing at Dobby, and sent a Cutting Charm at the ropes flying at him from the entrance to the adjacent room. He next shielded against the follow up Stunning Charm before sending his own _Incarcerous_ spell out.

At said room entrance, Harry defended himself identically, cutting the ropes flying at him. "What did you do to Dobby?!" he demanded, wand still pointed at the former auror.

"I did nothing!" Alastor answered. "Do you always cast first before asking questions?"

"You had your wand pointed at him!"

"He surprised me, so I treated him as a threat!"

"He's slamming his head against the fireplace. How is that a threat?"

"He Apparated right next to me! Elves don't do that."

"Dobby is bad elf!" Dobby wailed.

"Dobby, stop punishing yourself!"

"Will you be silent!" a certain painting made itself known. "It is bad enough you blood-traitors are tainting my home with your filthy presence, but must I also suffer this infernal racket? For shame, to be cursed with such a horde of plebeian squatters..."

"You're complaining to us about making a racket?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"Dobby is sorry, Great Harry Potter Sir!" the elf declared, tears sliding down his face.

"Harry, what's go-" Hermione cut herself off when she entered the room and noticed Harry's wand trained on Moody. She immediately scrambled to get her wand out of her pocket. "Polyjuice? Metamorphmagus? Glamour?" she belted out the possibilities that came to mind. "Confundus? Imperius? Artificial body made from bone of father and blood of enemy?"

Everyone, including the painting of Walpurga Black, looked at her askance.

"Okay, everyone, calm down," Sirius declared. "Put your wands away, we're all friends here. Well, aside from Mom."

Nobody did so.

Sighing, he began explaining the sequence of events of the previous sixty seconds.

- o -

_1995, July 28th, Friday, in a Potterverse..._

"We need a better long-term solution to living here," Rin declared. "Sakura and Shirou can only earn so much in the Leaky Cauldron, and we really need to find someone willing to share notes about their magic."

"That latter sounds ironic coming from a magus," Rider commented.

"We're not looking for powerful secrets... yet. For now, we need a basic understanding of their magecraft, beyond what we've read in books. While we can duplicate many of the effects, we clearly are not enacting the Mysteries through the same methodologies. But anyways, I'm more worried about logistics. Not only do we need funds, we will also need to establish viable workshops, if we are going to stay here for years."

"Should we stay in a magical community?" Shirou mused.

"Yes," Rin answered definitively. "We have less risk of exposing thaumaturgy to non-magicals, and it will let us observe the spellcasters here much more easily."

"I have only heard of Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade as full magical communities," Saber said. "Of the two, I would choose here, as we will have easy access to London if we require resources from the non-magical side." After three weeks of observation, it was _quite_ clear that the magical society of this dimension had a very large separation from the non-magical society.

"Actually, Hogsmeade may be better," Sakura interjected. "Next to it is Hogwarts, and I have an idea that may work. However, it involves all of us bluffing, since the residents here are of the Age of Gods and we are not."

- o -

"Minerva?" Dumbledore's face appeared in the fireplace.

"Yes, Albus?" McGonagall answered from the sitting chair of her living room, teacup in hand.

"If you could stop by for a few minutes, I just received a most peculiar owl."

After drinking the remaining tea in her cup, the Transfiguration professor stood and straightened her robe. Taking some Floo powder, she tossed it into her fireplace. "Hogwarts Headmaster's Office," she enunciated carefully. McGonagall entered Dumbledore's office through the Floo connection and came upon an unusual sight.

Dumbledore was bent over peering closely at an owl while poking it with a stick. The owl shifted its body away and tried to bite the stick.

Really, why do these things still surprise her.

Walking up to his desk, she realized the owl was actually artificial in nature. Donning her glasses, she examined the owl more closely. "Clockwork mechanisms. Lifelike responses in non-living matter. Does not seem as advanced as Piertotum Locomotor. Better than OWL level Transfiguration, pun not intended. The attention to detail is of high, but certainly nothing amazing by your or my standards."

Dumbledore stopped prodding it and turned to his deputy headmistress, eyes twinkling madly. "Do you have any other comments about it?"

Sighing at the Headmaster's obvious I-know-something-funny-that-you-do-not expression, McGonagall tapped her wand on the owl. "_Specialis Revelio_." She frowned at the information gained from the spell. "Are all moving parts enchanted separately? Seems like a large amount of unnecessary work for basic movement." She paused to process some more information. "This was Transfigured from a topaz gem. Odd choice. Wait," she said, looking at glowing runes inscribed on the back. "Are these runes magical? _Odal (_ᛟ_)_, _Laguz (_ᛚ_)_, and _Raido (_ᚱ_)_."

"Heritage, Water, and Journey. I do believe the runes are some form of enchantment," Dumbledore theorized, shaking his head in amazement. "Truly magic is wondrous. My interpretation is that this owl belongs to the caster in a magically binding fashion, thus Heritage. It is intended to travel, thus Journey. And the _Laguz_ rune for Water symbolizes life. In this case, the life of the caster."

"The caster's life essence is imbued into this?" she half stated, half asked. Part of her mind still fixated on the idea of magical runes.

"Not quite. I theorize it is analogous to the magical portraits."

"That... is certainly more advanced than I had originally considered. 'Analogous,' you say? Then that means this does not actually contain a full copy of the caster's personality?"

"I do not think so, though if it did, the ramifications of such magics would be enormous. In any case, the message explains well enough."

"Message? What message?"

Dumbledore handed a letter to his deputy headmistress while grinning in delight. Taking the message, McGonagall immediately noted that it was written on muggle paper.

_To Headmaster Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry:_

_My companions and I are traveling scholars seeking knowledge and lore of magics foreign to us. As the preeminent educational institution in Britannia, Hogwarts has naturally attracted our attention. If the exchange of academics agrees with you, please reply with a time and location for a meeting at your earliest convenience._

_You can reply to my familiar. If such an encounter is desired, then, as a token of good faith, please feel free to examine my familiar until we meet._

_Sincerely,_

_Rin Tohsaka, Magus_

"Familiar? This is a familiar?!" McGonagall exclaimed.

The owl nodded.

"You can understand me?"

The owl nodded again.

The two professors looked at each other. "When are you free, Minerva?" Dumbledore asked with an excited smile.

The Transfiguration professor turned to the owl. "Tomorrow, two o'clock, at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. We will have a room reserved."

- o -

"Damnit, Potter, do you _want_ Snape to read your mind?" Alastor yelled.

Panting heavily, Harry took a moment to get his bearings back in order to recover from the most recent Legilimens attack and turned to his teacher. "What do you mean?" he ground out.

"Who do you think is going to resume your Occlumency lessons when you get back at Hogwarts?"

Harry's eyes opened in realization. Hermione and Ron, alongside him for this lesson, also gaped.

"Unless you are really talented, you cannot learn Occlumency in just two months, so that means Snape."

Harry scowled. "Alright, but I have no idea what I'm doing. You're just reading my mind, and I can't do anything about it."

"It starts off like accidental magic. You clear your mind, and when I attack, your Occlumency barriers will eventually activate. Once it activates accidentally, you will be able to consciously control it after a whole lot of practice. And by practice, I mean a Legilimens attacks you over and over again. Which is what Snape will be doing to you when you get back to school."

"Well if it's accidental, why are you blaming me? It's not like I can purposely do something accidentally," Harry pointed out.

Alastor frowned. "Are you clearing your mind before you sleep?"

"How can I? Voldemort's back, and Fudge is being a moron about it. It's been two years and Sirius is still a wanted fugitive. How can I possibly not think about that?"

Breathing out a deep sigh, Alastor thought for a moment. "Do you do anything that calms you down? Reading a book? Brew a potion? Play with a kneazle?"

"Flying," Harry answered immediately.

"Does that calm you down or does that make you excited?" Alastor asked specifically.

Tilting his head in thought, Harry responded, "Both, depending on what type of flying I do."

"Then imagine flying to calm yourself before you sleep. After you get calm, _clear your mind_."

- o -

_1995, July 29st, Saturday, in a Potterverse..._

Walking up the stairs in the Three Broomsticks with the artificial owl in hand, McGonagall considered how it had been some time since she was excited academically. With Dumbledore having so many responsibilities outside of Hogwarts, much of running the school fell to her. This left precious time for her own academic pursuits.

But this!

It was not so much that the owl was amazing in what it could accomplish; given enough time, she was certain she could duplicate the feat on a feature by feature basis. No, instead, it was amazing because it clearly used magic with which they were not familiar.

Actually, she was not giving the owl enough credit as an invention. Imprinting a personality onto an animate object, as opposed to simply putting personality into a painting, was certainly an innovative idea. One that she swore she would never hint at when in the presence of Messrs. Weasley and Weasley. The world was not ready for a horde of owls with their personalities imprinted upon them.

McGonagall shuddered at the thought.

Approaching the designated room, McGonagall noted how once years ago she caught Snape eavesdropping on Trelawney's interview at this very spot. My, how time flies.

At Dumbledore's knocking, a young blonde woman opened the door.

Regal.

The Transfiguration professor almost stepped back from the sheer presence of this individual, despite the fact that the blonde merely performed the innocuous task of opening a door.

"Greetings. Headmaster Dumbledore and Deputy Headmistress McGonagall, I presume." she half asked, half declared.

"Greetings," Dumbledore returned. "And you are correct with regards to our identities."

"Please, join us at the table," she gestured with her right hand. McGonagall noted the gesture very much resembled how Nearly Headless Nick lead students to the dormitories. Walking in after Dumbledore, she saw the other occupants around a table bearing a tea set.

A young black haired woman of Asian descent stood from her seat at the table. Her act of standing revealed she wore a skirt of questionable length. Another Asian woman of comparable age also rose; this one had gorgeous purple hair and her outfit was a bit more reasonable in modesty. A slightly tan man with some red and a lot more white hair had already been standing when they entered. Unlike the three females who wore clearly muggle clothing, the male wore what appeared to be a red trench coat with the middle section missing. Odd, that.

"Thank you for meeting us. I am Rin Tohsaka," the black haired woman introduced herself with a bright smile. "These are my apprentices, Sakura Matou and Shirou Emiya."

"Hello," Sakura curtsied softly.

"Hello," Shirou greeted.

Rin then gestured to the blonde. "Saber, here, is our companion." The blonde nodded in acknowledgement. Such a strange name.

"A pleasure to meet such lovely individuals," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Please, let's sit. First things first, allow us to return your familiar." At this, McGonagall handed over the artificial owl to Rin.

"Thank you," she said as she received the owl. Following the example of the elder individuals in the room, the two Asian ladies sat. Saber stood ramrod straight behind the two and off to the side, whereas Shirou also remained standing as he began to serve tea to all those seated. Rin continued, "I hope that this example of thaumaturgy has peaked your interests."

"Indeed, it has," Dumbledore confirmed, as he took a sip from the teacup. "While we recognize some of the Charms and Transfiguration spells involved, clearly you have demonstrated magical abilities outside of our recognized domains."

"Ah, then we have accomplished our goals. It would have been embarrassing if all the Mysteries exhibited were already known to you, as then we would have precious little knowledge to exchange."

McGonagall paused prior to sipping the tea. She interjected, "It seems not only is the magic dissimilar, but it appears the vernacular you utilize differs from ours. 'Magus.' 'Thaumaturgy.' And, perhaps the word 'Mysteries' as well?"

"Quite so," Rin responded, her smile turning satisfied for some reason. "I think perhaps I should explain my magical background, as it will be relevant in our ensuing conversation."

"By all means," McGonagall allowed, resuming her act of sipping tea.

"I lived in Japan for my childhood. While I had attended a public school for my general education, my father had home-schooled me in magecraft beginning at age five."

McGonagall choked on her tea. "What?!" she exclaimed. "That's utterly dangerous. And not to mention a clear violation of the Underage Magic Laws. I do not know what exact laws Japan has, but certainly they cannot allow a five-year-old to learn magic."

"We are not naive enough to believe that families do not teach children magic privately before attending a magical school," Dumbledore added. "But I must agree that five years old is too young, as magic is quite erratic at that point."

"Indeed, it is dangerous at that age. I almost died opening a cursed book when I was seven," Rin replied. "But from where I come, magecraft is usually taught at such young ages."

McGonagall's lips tightened in disapproval.

"After my father passed away when I was seven, soon after the book incident - unrelated, I assure you - I had to effectively take over my own thaumaturgical education, as I had soon surpassed my father's apprentice in skill and theory."

The elder witch visibly restrained herself from sputtering, whereas the elder wizard merely raised an eyebrow.

Rin continued, "On the outside, I continued my non-magical education in primary and secondary schools. This dual-life lasted until I reached adulthood. At age eighteen, I had joined the Mage Association, which is the largest and most powerful body of Magi on the globe. I enrolled in the Clock Tower branch, specifically, which is headquartered in underground London. Its primary focus is on academic research and advancement of thaumaturgy."

"Mage Association? Clock Tower?" McGonagall interrupted. She thought for a moment. "Do you mean the Department of Mysteries?"

Rin tilted her head in question.

Saber interjected at this point. "The Department of Mysteries is a section within the Ministry of Magic, located within the underground complex of said Ministry headquarters. The Department's goals can best be summarized as confidential research in magic."

"Ah, I can see the source of confusion. I shall need to make a visit to this facility at some point. No, despite the seeming coincidences in location, purpose, and name, I did not enlist into your Department of Mysteries. The Mage Association and the Clock Tower branch are independent entities from your Ministry of Magic," Rin clarified. "Two years after I enrolled in the Clock Tower, attending classes and what not, certain feats I had accomplished attracted the attention of a well-known magus. After some politics, he eventually assumed the role of my mentor."

The young woman took a sip of her tea while the elder spellcasters waited patiently.

"Aside from being an accomplished magus, he also specializes in the True Magic known as the Kaleidoscope."

Dumbledore's teacup clattered loudly as it fell onto his dish.

"Ah, you know of this term. If your usage of it matches ours, then hopefully my tale is more believable."

"Albus?" the Transfiguration professor asked, somewhat lost.

The headmaster hesitated, openly regarding the black haired woman in amazement. "You can use the magic of the Kaleidoscope?"

"I am far, _far _from a master of such True Magic," Rin qualified.

"Albus?" McGonagall repeated, clearly impatient for some clarification.

"I chanced upon the term, when I was reviewing some notes that Nicolas had collected centuries ago from some wizard," Dumbledore explained. "The notes lacked details, but merely made mention that the Kaleidoscope is the magic regarding alternate dimensions."

The witch's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief. "Another dimension? Surely you jest."

"I understand it is unbelievable. And, to be truthful, short of showing our own dimension to you two, there is no real way for me to prove this claim. Even in that scenario, one could say I am using a form of hypnosis as opposed to the Kaleidoscope to convince you."

"I am somewhat surprised you are willing to admit this," Dumbledore observed. "It would be akin to a time traveler stating he or she was from the future."

"We know how these stories go. We would spend an inordinate amount of effort masquerading as natives, using some simple story involving a hermetical wizard as our mentor in a foreign country. However, with the leader of the International Confederation of Wizards as the headmaster of the school, it would only be a matter of time before our cover is proven false. At that point, claiming to be from another dimension would seem even more ridiculous than now. Such an outcome would be... tedious."

"I gather you have lived in interesting times, then?" Dumbledore asked in amusement.

"Indeed," Rin responded, before smiling beautifully. "And thank you for believing us, Headmaster Dumbledore."

McGonagall turned to her fellow professor and saw the twinkle in his eyes, confirming the magus's statement. "Albus?"

"Minerva, one must keep an open mind about these matters." He then turned back to the magus. "May I ask, Miss Tohsaka, how you came to this conclusion? Am I so easy to read?"

Without missing a beat, she answered, "On the contrary, you are very difficult to read, Headmaster. However, you said 'admit this' instead of 'claim this', earlier."

McGonagall thought back for a moment to that part of the conversation, before a chill ran down her spine. It was just a feeling, but she felt that this young woman was dangerously clever. Glancing at Dumbledore, she confirmed he had a similar reaction.

"Ah, I gather you two have also lived in interesting times," Rin queried, recognizing their wariness.

"Indeed," Dumbledore answered. "Now then, I believe we are here to discuss the exchange of knowledge..."

- o -

_1995, August 2nd, Wednesday, in a Potterverse..._

Harry ducked under the bludger as he raced to the quaffle. With only six players, this Quidditch game had no seekers, so Harry now had the position of chaser.

He sucked.

To be fair, Ginny apparently was very good at being a chaser. True, Harry reached the quaffle more often than Ginny did, but his aim when throwing it into the goal left much to be desired. Or Ron was just a good Keeper. Yeah, let's go with that.

He reached for the quaffle... only to have it knocked violently out of the way by a bludger.

"Aw, missed ickle Harry," Fred lamented.

"Ha ha," Harry replied sarcastically, before pursuing the quaffle once more.

BOOM!

Everyone on the quidditch pitch stopped at what sounded like a cannon shot. Turning to the sound, Harry saw Dumbledore _running_ towards the pitch from the direction of the Weasley house. Knowing that cannot possibly be a good thing, Harry immediately streaked toward the old wizard.

"Headmaster Dumbledore?" Harry asked as he dismounted.

"Harry! Did you go anywhere today?" Dumbledore half panted, huffing from his sprint.

"No, I was at Grimmauld all day until dinner, when Mrs. Weasley asked us over. What's wrong?"

Dumbledore gathered himself, eyes solemn. "I'm sorry, Harry. You're family... has been hospitalized."

"What?! What happened?!"

"I..." Dumbledore hesitated a moment. "I believe they've been Kissed by dementors."


	2. Transitions

Disclaimer: Fate/Stay Night and other elements of the Nasuverse are owned by TYPE-MOON. Harry Potter and related elements are owned by J. K. Rowling.

Special thanx to Dignity and WhatWindDoes for idea bouncing, and Third Fang for beta read.

**Transitions**

_J. K. Rowlings map of Hogwarts and environs: www hp-lexicon org atlas hogwarts atlas-h-jkrmap html_

_El Cronista de Salem map of Hogwarts and environs: www hp-lexicon org atlas hogwarts atlas-h-ecmap html_

- o -

_1995, September 1st, Friday, in a Potterverse..._

"Harry?"

The addressed individual turned to the speaker. Seeing the concerned expression in front of him, Harry replied automatically. "I'm fine, Hermione."

The witch visibly nibbled her lower lip before relenting. Ron and Ginny, who had witnessed the exchange, said nothing, as this scene had repeated itself several times this past month. The reverberation of the Hogwarts Express filled the background with white noise.

At the onset of summer, Harry had thrown himself into training. He kept up the pretense of being unaffected by his role in Cedric's death, aside from one particular conversation within the headmaster's office. When he learned of the prophecy, he still attempted to manage the facade, though it was clear to everyone else that _something_ had happened during that meeting.

However, that changed when his family had received the Kiss from a dementor. Harry did not know what to feel, honestly. Certainly he disliked the Dursleys, but did he hate them? Unsure. Loathe them enough to wish their death (or the closest thing to death)? No, definitely not. Unfortunately, that had happened.

"Wonder who our DA teacher will be," Ron said, filling the awkward silence in conversation.

"Hopefully not another Death Eater," Ginny answered.

"He wasn't that bad of a teacher."

The other three turned to black haired student, who then fidgeted slightly under their gazes. Hermione responded first, "Harry, he trapped you! And he put all of us under Imperius. An Unforgivable!"

"Well, that helped? We learned something about it. I mean, it was useful in the graveyard."

"How?"

"Voldemort put me under Imperius to make me bow to him before we dueled, and I fought it off. I thought I told you." The other three gaped at him. Apparently they had not realized Voldemort had cast an Unforgivable alongside his demand. Harry fidgeted some more in discomfort.

"Merlin, that's-" Ron began.

"Can we talk about something else?" Harry interrupted exasperatedly. Everyone immediately backed off, as the graveyard incident had become a taboo topic since the beginning of summer. While he had told them the details of what happened once - and just once - he did not appreciate actually discussing it. Unfortunately, this left another uneasy silence in the compartment, with the only sound belonging to the train's rumbling.

Deliberately looking out the window to avoid the stares of his friends, Harry could not help but recall yet again the resurrection of Voldemort. This of course led to his thinking of the partial prophecy. And finally, his mind oriented towards the events surrounding the attack on his family, which undoubtedly had originally been intended for him. This sinister triangle of thoughts occupied his mind for the past month ever since Dumbledore brought the news of his family's demise.

- o -

_1995, August 2nd, Wednesday, in a Potterverse..._

_The white sterile hallway of the hospital provided a much different ambiance when compared to the Hogwarts Hospital Wing. The smell of cleaning fluids and antiseptics permeated the air as opposed to the more familiar aroma of herbs and potions. Fluorescent lighting lit every nook and cranny, whereas in Madame Pomfrey's domain large windows provided a well-lit airy atmosphere._

_About an hour and a half had passed since Dumbledore announced the grim fate of Harry's family. The young man now arrived at the hospital, where the Dursleys were being treated as coma patients. He was accompanied by Remus and two aurors named Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks, along with Alastor Moody under an invisibility cloak. Five other Order members shadowed their group. Calling themselves the Advance Guard, no one believed for a moment this dementor incident had been an accident, so they took no chances. Dumbledore himself would have come along had he not been needed in processing this case with the Ministry._

_After signing in at the front desk ("Mr. Shacklebolt, you have to peel the back off the name tag for it to stick."), the group navigated the maze of uniform hallways ("Uh, that sign means "Slippery When Wet", Miss Tonks. Here, let me help you up."), modern lifts ("No Remus, you don't use the emergency telephone to pick which floor you want."), and open office stations ("Do you really have to Obliviate everyone we meet?" "Constant Vigilance!"). Harry would have been amused by the small trip if not for the sombre situation. When they reached the room, the two aurors stayed outside while Harry and Remus went in along with an invisible Alastor. Unexpectedly, another visitor had already arrived._

"_Boy! Where have you been?" Marjorie Dursley demanded immediately upon their arrival. "Your family feeds you and clothes you, but when they are hospitalized, it takes you hours to get here?"_

"_Aunt Marge," Harry gritted out. He really did not want to deal with her at the moment. Actually, he really did not want to deal with her ever._

"_You ungrateful brat! You're no better than your good-for-nothing parents! I swear, if this is your fault, I will make your beatings at St. Brutus feel like tickles!"_

_In the past hour, Harry had already concluded that the attacks _did_ occur because of him, and thus it _was_ his fault. Unfortunately, Harry's visage reflected this._

"_It _was_ your fault! I knew it!" Marge shouted when she saw his guilty expression. "What. Did. You. Do?! Did you poison them? Beat them with a frying pa-"_

_And then she collapsed bonelessly to the floor._

"_Good thing Kingsley put a Silencing Charm on the door," Alastor stated as he removed his invisibility cloak and levitated the unconscious shrew onto a chair. Opening one of Marge's eyelids, Alastor began the wand movements for the Memory Charm._

"_Beatings?" Remus asked concernedly._

"_Aunt Marge doesn't know about Hogwarts. Uncle Vernon told her that 'St. Brutus's Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys' is the school I go to," Harry explained. "I told her I get caned constantly there."_

"_I see," Remus replied ambiguously._

"_No wonder your Occlumency is so bad," Alastor commented after he finished his task. "You can't lie for the life of you, can you, Potter."_

"_What?"_

"_If you're the type that wears yours heart on your sleeve, then Occlumency won't be easy," he explained. "Basic Occlumency is about hiding your thoughts and feelings. Advanced Occlumency is about lying with your thoughts and feelings."_

"_So you're saying Harry is having difficulty with Occlumency because he is an honest person?" Remus queried._

"_Right. I'll explain more at our next lesson." The former auror moved to the beds._

_Harry, who had been preoccupied by his aunt, finally had a chance to actually examine the Dursleys._

_Pale._

_Empty._

_Unnatural._

_Not in the same vein as a snake-faced dark lord, but nonetheless a sense of wrongness emanated from the three. This situation held a different feeling than two months ago, when Harry had seen the almost lifeless body of Barty Crouch Jr. Then, he had been recovering from his nightmare made manifest; something like a Kissed individual gave little emotional impact at the time. Here, he could not help but feel that it was due to his _freakishness_ that the Dursleys were rendered thus._

- o -

Within the Hogwarts castle, a suite intended for four individuals had been prepared, though it actually housed one additional being. The suite contained four bedrooms, three of which were converted to workshops for the three magi. It also boasted a fairly luxurious bathroom and a passable kitchen; the latter was a high priority item during negotiations. All magical paintings and mirrors had been removed at the request of the inhabitants, which the Hogwarts staff found unusual but nonetheless complied with. Even more surprising was the announcement that the off-worlders had created a "Bounded Field" on the door which allowed any ghost to physically knock on it.

Clearly they valued their privacy, but at least they made their requests in a much more polite manner than last year's fake Alastor Moody.

"Are you sure that will pass for a robe, Rin?" Sakura gestured at the red article of clothing in question.

"Close enough. Dumbledore has a meteor shower animating on his robe. I don't think my coat will garner that much attention."

"Of course not," Rider agreed. "Shirou's outfit will be the issue."

"I concur," Saber stated. The four females turned to the lone male in the room, who was dressed extremely similar to a certain Counter Guardian.

"I don't think it will be a problem," he defended. "I saw a woman who had a vulture on her hat, and she did not draw any attention on the streets."

"I don't think you realize what the actual problem is," Rin replied, as she totally did not stare at Shirou's rock hard abs outlined by the black, tight body armor. Ten years have passed; clearly she had seen it enough times, so there was no reason whatsoever for her to lick her lips.

Really.

"In any case, is everyone prepared?" Saber inquired.

"We still have a few hours," Sakura responded. She turned to her Servant. "Rider, are you sure about this plan?"

"Yes," the addressed Heroic Spirit replied evenly.

"I must express my doubts regarding this plan," Rin admitted.

"It has merit," Saber disagreed.

"Hiding Rider in astral form has merit, yes, but we are not dealing with normal magi. If the Bounded Fields on this castle are indicative of their level of magic, we are definitely outclassed. I would not be surprised if they have spiritual magic, considering they have wraiths freely wandering the castle."

"Their bank has weaker protections than Hogwarts," Rider countered.

The implication behind Rider's words was not lost on the genius magus; Hogwarts had to be an exception in terms of magical protections and thus cannot be used as proper criteria for judging the spellcasters within it. Nonetheless, Rin continued on with her doubts. "This is going to backfire spectacularly."

"You are being too optimistic, Rin," Saber stated. In response to the raised eyebrow, she explained, "Which is more likely to occur first? The accidental discovery of Rider, or some urgent situation such that Rider must reveal herself."

Pause.

"Those words do not comfort me whatsoever," Rin sighed.

"Then take comfort in that if such a situation occurs, Rider's invisible presence will more than likely be a deciding factor."

Before Rin could comment, Shirou interjected. "I don't really like this either. It's wrong to be hiding for all this time; you should be out amongst us as well."

The addressed spirit betrayed no reaction. "Ten years, and you still do not understand what a Servant is."

"You are not just tools. I know a Servant has desires; otherwise you would not be chosen for the Grail War. And, I know a Servant can act on those desires, like Archer and Gilgamesh."

Rider barely refrained from twitching into a smile. While she had no memories of the Fifth Grail War, she had received a synopsis of what happened. "So you are suggesting that I act like Archer and Gilgamesh?"

Shirou raised a finger and opened his mouth... only to drop his hand and close his mouth. With a sigh, he said, "Okay, I didn't think that argument through."

"Zelretch," Saber continued on, "would have only designated this dimension if an ulterior motive needs to be accomplished."

"Saber," Sakura commented. "You seem unusually sure that something will happen."

"I have my reasons," Saber answered.

- o -

_1995, August 1st, Tuesday, in a Potterverse..._

_The off-worlders had arrived a few minutes early through the Three Broomsticks Floo Network. Rider entered fourth while in astral form, showing only a ghostly outline in the flames. The few who noticed merely thought the phenomenon to be a hiccup in the flames since Shirou had followed soon after. Their escort had apparently been waiting and immediately identified them upon their arrival._

"_Oh my, welcome, welcome. You appear exactly as Minerva described!" exclaimed a small, wizened man. "Ah, forgive me, where are my manners? I am Filius Flitwick, Charms professor at Hogwarts. Allow me to escort you to the castle! Oh, so exciting to see new faces and new magic!"_

_Rin immediately handled the greetings and introductions with her "school idol" personality._

"_Now then. Normally professors use the Floo to arrive directly at the castle when moving in, as of course this would be much more convenient for the transfer of belongings. However, we felt it would be more appropriate for everyone to enjoy an unencumbered tour beforehand, as this is your first time here." The professor led them through Hogsmeade towards Hogwarts, pointing at various landmarks while regaling them with facts and legends. His knowledge and eagerness would place any tour guide to shame._

_Fortunately, Saber had not outwardly demonstrated her initial concerns over their escort. Energetic, elderly men always gave her a sense of unease ever since a Certain Incident with Merlin. However, the liveliness of this particular individual seemed to stem from academic enthusiasm, as opposed to less savory inclinations._

_Rin made the appropriately polite comments and questions while Shirou spoke more straightforwardly. Sakura only interjected occasionally into the conversations. Saber remained quiet and unobtrusive, as much as an unnaturally beautiful being with Charisma Rank B could stay in the background. Strangely enough, the sword and scabbard at her side did not garner a second glance. Rider scouted ahead on rooftops while staying in astral form. Saber and Rider had discussed the possibility that the wizards may have prepared an ambush to capture the dimensional travelers for interrogation, dissection, and analysis._

_Servants were protective like that._

_After the walk through Hogsmeade, the eclectic group approached the front entrance to Hogwarts grounds. Aligned to the sides of the gates, stone boars with wings swept back sat astride the fifteen foot high wall. Flitwick waved his wand twice and sent green sparkles at each of the gargoyles. From the casual onlooker's perspective, he had merely unlocked the gates. However, the individuals there, being a bit more observant and experienced, easily surmised that the professor had keyed into a Bounded Field of some sort._

_As the metal gates opened, their tour guide turned to the visitors. "Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! Well, you cannot see it from here, but we shall arrive in a bit." Indeed, beyond the gates, a steep hilly terrain awaited them._

_In terms of sensing subtleties of magic, Saber had the least amount of talent when compared to others in her group. Which is not to say she was bad; far from it, actually. The teachings of both Merlin and Rin could only be described as top-notch. But simply put, the others were better. As such, she left the task of analysing mystical properties to her companions._

_However, when she entered the gate, a completely unexpected feeling assaulted her._

_Familiarity._

_When they began walking again, Flitwick resumed his tour speech. At the first landmark, he gestured to a stadium of some sort with columns interspersed around the seats. "This is our quidditch pitc. We have six games a year, one for each house pairing."_

"_Quidditch?" Shirou asked. "What's that?"_

_The wizened professor spun quickly in shock, demonstrating a surprising amount of spryness for his age. "Your world does not have quidditch?!" After confirmation of this, he launched into an excited spiel about the premier sport of the wizarding world. This went on as they kept walking over and around valleys and hills._

"_That sounds a bit dangerous," Sakura remarked._

"_It does carry a certain amount of risk, but that adds to the excitement."_

"_So males are capable of flying on brooms?" Rin focused on a different part of the discussion._

_Flitwick looked at her quizzically. "Is that unusual?"_

"_In our dimension, the Mystery of broom flight is limited to female magi."_

"_Interesting, you must have achieved flight in a different manner than us. Very interesting. Well, I'm sure our brooms will work for Mr. Emiya. It is an experience every witch and wizard goes through."_

_Shirou smiled at the old man. "I look forward to it, Professor Flitwick."_

_Despite not seeing her, Saber exchanged "glances" with Rider. The two would most definitely try broom flying in the near future._

"_Now, that is Rubeus Hagrid's hut. He normally teaches Care for Magical Creatures, but for the time being he is away on sabbatical. That large tree is a whomping willow. Please do not get close, as it is very aggressive to anyone nearby."_

_All five off-worlders suddenly stopped and locked their gazes onto the tree._

"_This tree attacks people?" Shirou asked._

"_Yes."_

"_It moves from town to town, destroying whole communities, feeding on the blood of the inhabitants?"_

"_Er… no." Flitwick looked at Shirou curiously._

"_So it only consumes the blood of those who go near it?"_

"_I think… we have different definitions of the word "aggressive"," the Charms Professor said slowly, cautiously taking a half step back from the off-worlders. "Perhaps a demonstration would be best?" At their nods, he drew his wand and performed a somewhat complex movement with it._

"Inanimatus Conjurus._"_

_A wooden box appeared, a bit bigger than a standard milk crate. He then swept his wand from the box to the tree._

"Depulso box!_"_

_The wooden box suddenly flew to the whomping willow. Saber watched curiously as the branches suddenly whipped at the box, demolishing it into splinters. She could see how the plant would be dangerous to normal humans, especially to teenagers. Perhaps these wizards and witches also believed that the path of magic means walking alongside death._

_After clarifying the threat level of the whomping willow, the group continued onwards to Hogwarts. They next approached a stone circle, which preceded a covered, wooden bridge. "This is the Sundial Garden. The stones magically move to ensure the shadow provides an accurate time. And that bridge leads to the Clock Tower courtyard. We will not be taking it now, but you should be aware that it is another entrance into the castle."_

_As the group began to move away, Saber remained behind, gravitating towards one particular boulder._

- o -

"So... how is the Occlumency training going?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, don't remind me," Ron moaned, his grimace making it clear his thoughts on the matter. He had been making the least amount of progress of the three. Though to be fair Alastor had been concentrating on Harry the most during the six week crash course. Hermione, who also had a surprising amount of difficulty, was still further along than the redhead.

"Honestly, Ron, of course it would be difficult. Otherwise everyone in the Wizarding world would know Occlumency," Hermione chided.

"Hey, don't be all high and mighty with me. You were complaining to Moody about it too. And let me tell you, when Miss Granger complains about a teacher's lessons, then clearly something is seriously wrong."

The young witch hesitated slightly before responding. "Well, I had every right to. He was making Harry remember his embarrassing moments and giving him unpleasant memories. Obviously it was not necessary since he did not do the same to us."

"He had to," the wizard in question stated. At Ginny's puzzled expression, Harry gave a more detailed explanation. "My Occlumency training is not complete, so I'll be learning from Snape." Everyone in the compartment shuddered involuntarily. "Moody might have been a little bad, but Snape is going to be downright nasty."

"How bad can it get?" Ginny asked.

"You know how a dementor makes you relive your worst memory?"

"Err, in theory, yes."

Harry paused a moment as he realized most teenagers had never experienced the effects of a dementor. Then he realized he should replace "teenagers" with "people". Mentally shaking his head at the odd thought, he continued, "It's sort of like that, but without the cold and ever growing sense of hopelessness."

"Okay... so it's not as bad as a dementor attack?"

"It can be worse. The Legilimens can actually make up memories, so you feel like you are 'remembering' something even though it never happened. Moody created a memory of me eating this soup so spicy my mouth and throat felt like they were on fire. I'm not looking forward to what Snape does to me."

The expression of the youngest one there changed to horror. "But I heard Snape is a master of dark arts! He could make you experience terrible things! Are you actually going to learn from him?"

"Oh, it's not just a rumor. Remus said that Snape knew a lot of dark arts even before he went to Hogwarts." Harry thought of the few times Snape had appeared in Grimmauld Place over the summer. During these appearances, the interactions between him and Sirius and Lupin had more antagonism than Potions classes. Mentally shaking off the thought, he answered Ginny's question. "And yeah, I have to learn from him."

"Why?"

He fully stopped and remained silent for over ten seconds. "I can't tell you. Even Ron and Hermione don't know. The reason they are learning is so that I can tell them. The reason I'm learning Occlumency is so that _I_ can learn more. And the only reason you know about the lessons at all is because Ron can't keep a secret."

"Hey, nobody told me it was a secret," the redhead protested.

Ginny ignored her brother. "So if I were to learn-"

"No."

"But-"

"_No_."

"You can't tell me what I can do, Harry," she declared with a pout.

Harry frowned. "You're right. I can't tell you what to do. If you want to walk up to Snape and ask him for private lessons on how he can rape your mind, I can't stop you."

Well, when one puts it like that...

- o -

Despite having had decades of experience preparing for first day of a Hogwarts year, Albus Dumbledore only barely managed to work in a small tea break within his schedule this day. Though he no longer had responsibilities as Chief Warlock and Supreme Mugwump, the headmaster had a myriad of other tasks to perform. This included ensuring the solidity of the Anti-Intruder Jinx and additional magical protections on Hogwarts grounds, preparations for the new professors, delegating tasks to various members of the Order of the Phoenix, and several more duties.

Following the handwritten instructions on the box of tea leaves he had received from the off-worlders as a gift, Dumbledore heated some water to the (hopefully) correct temperature. Before opening the box, he rapped it with his wand.

"_Specialis Revelio_."

After verifying the lack of any magic on the gift, he opened it to expose the tea leaves. Then, he waved his wand over them.

"_Pars Revelio_."

Normally used to identify potion constituents, Scarpin's Revelaspell also had a more mundane utility of identifying ingredients within prepared foods.

While the tea steeped, the aged wizard sighed at his own carefulness. Normally, he would politely refrain from analyzing the contents of gifts, as he held such behavior as an act of rudeness; however, he now lived in trying times. Thus, the Leader of the Light would not begrudge a few moments of harmless Constant Vigilance, even at the cost of what he considered civilized decorum.

"_Have you gone daft, Albus? The Dark Lord returns, and you really think it's only a big coincidence that dimensional travelers have just happened to arrive _right now_?"_

Alastor had posed a good question. Since he actually valued his friend's advice and wisdom, he considered it seriously. Reflecting honestly, he had to admit to a certain amount of selfishness in this situation. A large part of his genius in wizardry involved keeping an open mind regarding esoteric magics. He truly wanted to believe the off-worlders' outrageous claims, so much so that perhaps his excitement and intellectual interest now colored his view overall.

Pouring the finished tea into a cup and raising it to his lips, he considered the ramifications of Alastor's suspicions having actual veracity. Four individuals within his sanctum, within easy reach of Harry Potter. Capable of using unknown magics. Capable of fashioning familiars. Capable of...

… capable of concocting a _magnificent _blend of tea leaves.

Gazing into his cup, Dumbledore Divined that he would outright lament if the worst came to pass.

- o -

_1995, August 5th, Saturday, in a Potterverse…_

"_My apologies for not meeting with you; the past few days have been unexpectedly busy," Dumbledore greeted the four off-worlders after they entered his office. Given the circumstances with the Dursleys three days previous, he had little time to spare for Hogwarts-related issues._

_As per his custom for new visitors, Dumbledore stood patiently and gave them a few moments to absorb the variety of magical intricacies in his office. He noted that Rin and Saber managed to time their observations such that it lasted long enough to acknowledge the unusualness, yet just short enough so as to keep the period of silence from becoming awkward. Usually only experienced politicians and the like could accomplish this feat._

"_We understand you are very busy, Headmaster," Rin responded. "We thank you not only for taking the time to meet with us, but also for the opportunity in general to exchange knowledge._

_Sakura moved forward with a box in her hands. "Please accept this as a token of our appreciation," she said demurely as she politely handed it over._

"_Oh, dear, that was unnecessary, but thank you."_

"_Oh, it is nothing," she returned. "It is merely a personal blend of tea leaves we have developed over the years. Our English acquaintances from our home dimension have given positive responses to this blend. Please feel free to share it with your staff."_

"_I look forward to sampling this," the headmaster replied honestly. "Now, let's sit. Has the process of moving into the castle met with any complications?"_

_The four sat down in the four chairs he had conjured for this meeting. He observed as Saber very naturally adjusted her sheathed sword as she sat, as if she had done so hundreds of times before. Rin, Sakura, and Saber had kept their attention on him. On the other hand, Shirou held lingering glances toward a table across the room, which contained various trinkets. This included a fake Sword of Gryffindor, which Dumbledore had created using the Doubling Charm._

"_There is one complication," Sakura answered. "Do you have a car park?"_

_The elder wizard raised both eyebrows at this. "You brought a vehicle from your home dimension?"_

"_Four motorcycles, actually."_

"_Then that would be no issue. Hagrid had… ah, been in possession of a motorcycle for a number of years and had no issue storing it. He is currently indisposed for an indeterminate amount of time, but we should be able to place your vehicles at his hut."_

"_Will the ambient magic of Hogwarts be of harm towards the electronic components within the vehicles?" Saber asked._

"_A good question," Dumbledore mused. "While I do not keep abreast regarding the advances in muggle vehicular technologies, I believe Hagrid's motorcycle model was a bit dated. I honestly do not know if newer vehicles would fare as well."_

"_Alright, then," Rin stated to her companions, "as we had discussed earlier, we will transport the motorcycles with power consumption runes for temporary protection and store them in a magic circle."_

_The headmaster responded with an eager smile. "I must insist on observing you perform this magic. And I dare say some of my colleagues would clamor at this chance as well."_

"_That should be no issue. That being said, can you point us to a Floo Network access point in London that allows vehicle transport?"_

"_Ah, I can address problem for you. We can transport the vehicles via Apparition to Hogsmeade."_

"_Apparition." Sakura repeated. "That is a form of teleportation, correct?"_

"_Indeed." Despite their well-schooled visages, Dumbledore saw the excitement in their eyes at the mention of Apparition. "Now then, is there anything else?"_

_The off-worlders looked at each other to confirm there were no more issues. Saber answered for the group. "We should be fine. The other professors, especially the Deputy Headmistress, have been very helpful."_

- o -

At the sound of the door to their compartment opening, four Lions looked up towards the three Snakes standing at the entrance.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Draco drawled. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle stood behind him, as usual.

"Look, it's the Bouncing Ferret," Ron declared as he pointed dramatically.

"You shut it, Weasley!"

"Impressive, Ron," Hermione commented. "You managed to rile up Malfoy with one sentence."

"You be silent, mudblood!"

"I don't know, Hermione," Ron returned with a fake contemplative look. "Your very presence gets him mad, so I don't think I can compare to you."

"Don't think you can ignore me, Weasley! I'm a prefect now, so that means I can..." the Slytherin trailed off when the redhead pulled his prefect badge from a pocket to pin to his robe.

"Oi, Draco, is your memory so bad you don't remember I was at the prefect meeting too?"

"More like you are beneath my notice, Weasley." Then, the blonde's face opened into a grin as he turned towards his nemesis. "Oh, what's this? The Chosen One couldn't make the cut? Or maybe you are so far behind Weasley that even being Dumbledore's favorite is not enough for you to become prefect?"

In another reality, such a taunt would have succeeded in aggravating Harry, as he had to forcefully suppress his envy over Ron's selection as prefect.

However.

In this reality, his attention latched onto another phrase in the taunt. _The Chosen One._ Harry mused for a few seconds over the possibility of Draco knowing the prophecy, but he rejected the thought. Voldemort would keep such an indication of weakness to himself. This musing, however, created a chain of logic in Harry's mind that led to his next statement.

"So, Malfoy, what's Voldemort's favorite food?" Everyone else flinched at the name.

"What?" Draco asked in confusion, clearly not expecting the non sequitur.

"Just wondering what he forces your elves to make."

"Oh, please, spare me your Spew nonsense."

"It's not Spew! It's S.P.E.W!" Hermione interrupted. "And I won't even try to convince you to treat elves fairly; it's quite clear such an endeavor would be fruitless."

The Slytherin's expression turned even more smug. "Not to worry, we've trained our elves _very_ well; they've learned do their duties well enough."

"Like making Knickerbocker Glory?" Everyone turned to Ginevra Weasley with perplexed expressions. She merely continued, "That was Tom's favorite when he was at Hogwarts, you know." Harry blinked in surprise; she seemed quite calm making that statement.

"Who the bloody hell is Tom?" Draco asked in even greater confusion.

A moment of silence permeated the train cabin.

"Wow, that is kind of sad," Harry commented.

"Pathetic, really," Ginny agreed.

The blonde's hand reached for his pocket, but he then noticed everyone else seemed ready to draw their wands as well. In a visible effort to regain his composure, he bit down on his immediate violent reaction to those two statements. Harry found this odd, considering that the Slytherins had received a few hexes in the previous train ride. Someone of Draco's temperament would have lost it by now.

The pureblood sneered down at the sitting individuals. "Spew? Food? Tom? Clearly your lowly roots have resulted in addled brains. I think it's time to leave; your idiocy might be contagious."

"Oh thank goodness, Ferret-face is leaving," Ron said. Draco just snorted as he and his friends left.

Harry's eyes narrowed at a sudden thought. Just as he had to... _ugh_... train with Snape, Draco must have also received instructions for this year; Voldemort would not waste such an opportunity and resource. Even if it consisted of something as simple as scouting information.

Once the doors closed, Hermione reacted immediately. "Harry!" she almost screeched. "Why would you be joking about elves?"

"Yeah, I'm with Hermione on this one, mate," Ron added. "I mean, I don't think You-Know-Who wants to join Spe-" He flinched at the glare leveled at him. "Er, S.P.E.W."

"I wasn't joking," Harry answered. "I was trying something, but it didn't work. Guess I confused him too much."

"Trying what?" the bushy-haired witch demanded.

Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair. "I was trying to see if Malfoy would reveal if Voldemort spends time at Malfoy's place. If he does, we can report it to Headmaster."

The three others blinked owlishly in surprise. Then, Ron broke the silence. "Is this a mission from the Order?"

"What? No. You know we're not doing anything for the Order."

"Right. So you just decided to figure this out yourself?"

Harry shrugged. "Whatever I can do to help." He then turned to regard each of them seriously. "Look, be careful around him. He probably has a mission from his daddy or the Dark Lord. Don't touch anything he gives you; it might be a portkey or something. And watch what you say; he'll probably be reporting everything he hears."

"Mate, I think Moody's attitude has been rubbing off on you."

- o -

"Now that is an expression I do not see on you often."

Albus Dumbledore, who had been staring at the Sorting Hat in deep thought, glanced at the painting of former-Headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black. "These are trying times, Phineas."

"As if the Ministry is ever anything but trying, Albus," the figure in the painting retorted.

"An odd statement that, given that it comes from a proud and true Slytherin."

Phineas harrumphed. "You have dealt with the government since you were a teenager; I am uncertain as to how you are now unable to bend them to your will." He then grumbled to himself. "I still cannot believe I had to make you the British Youth Representative to the Wizengamot."

"I must confess to having extreme satisfaction at winning the position over the Slytherins you pushed into vying for it," the current headmaster responded with a mischievous smile.

"Oh dear, I believe your anti-Slytherin colors are showing, Albus."

"Hardly, Phineas. The only other students in the running were from Salazar's House."

"As it should be. It is the House of ambition and greatness, after all." The figure in the painting straightened his collar. "Now then, what seems to be the issue?"

"Oh dear, I believe your concern for me is showing, Phineas," Dumbledore parroted.

"Hardly, Albus," the portrait returned. "It is merely easier to gloat over you if I know the source of your frustration."

At this remark, several other headmaster portraits had to respond.

"How rude!"

"Indeed, Black, it is our duty to aid the headmaster, not insult him."

"Wait, we have a British Youth Representative to the Wizengamot? Why have I never heard of this?"

Phineas sneered at the other portraits. "Oh, enough of the subservience! Are you lot incapable of expressing your own opinions? For shame, to be cursed with such mindless sycophants as neighbors…"

"Now hold right there!"

"Such words cross the line, Black. Had I my wand I'd demonstrate my displeasure."

"Seriously, is no one going to going to answer my question about this Youth Representative thing?"

With years of practice, Dumbledore tuned out the squabbling amongst the paintings and resumed his pondering on the Sorting Hat. An appointment with his Deputy Headmistress would soon occur, and the few minutes until then would be his last chance to make his decision.

The decision to cross the line.

He had done his due diligence over the past few weeks. He had spoken to Ollivander to verify the off-worlders' claims that they could not match wands. He had watched as they performed their runic magic and had gone back several times to study the magic circle protecting their motorcycles. No one, neither him nor anyone on his staff, had seen or even heard of such magic before. He had personally witnessed the respect the spellcasters had toward Saber, a squib. And lastly, he confirmed with Severus that Voldemort had given no inclination of planting new moles in Hogwarts.

All evidence pointed to one of two conclusions. Either they had made true claims with regards to their origins and magics. Or they were consummate actors, capable of fooling the entire staff of Hogwarts.

Barty Crouch Jr. had fooled the entire staff of Hogwarts for almost a year.

A year ago, if someone claimed that a Death Eater could impersonate Alastor Moody as a professor, Dumbledore would have checked this individual for inebriation or some other cause of mental confusion. But it happened. And it directly resulted in the resurrection of Tom.

Could he afford another mistake?

By the time McGonagall arrived at his office, he had made his decision.

- o -

Having just finished her business in the loo, a blonde female student walked daintily towards her train cabin. However, she gradually came to a stop as she looked around the air searching for something, though nothing obvious claimed her attention. She then closed her eyes and listened carefully, whereupon she slowly moved to a seemingly random compartment on the train. Looking through the door window, she tilted her head in confusion at the empty seats. Entering the room, she sat down on a seat and stared directly in front of her.

When the door locked shut by itself, the blonde smiled triumphantly.

"_Depulso Invisibility Cloak_." Alastor Moody wandlessly Banished his invisibility cloak onto the door window as he pointed his wand directly at the other occupant. "Who are you?!" he demanded.

"I am Luna Lovegood, Professor Moody. Will you be teaching Defense this year?" the blonde replied, utterly unfazed by the situation.

"No. How did you know I was here?"

"I thought I heard wrackspurts zooming by, and I followed them into here, Professor."

Alastor's artificial eye started rotating quickly and dizzyingly. "Don't call me Professor. Not teaching at all this year."

"May I ask why you are here, Mr. Moody?"

"No, you may not."

Luna thought for a moment before nodding to herself. "So Mr. Potter is right, Mr. Moody?"

Both of Alastor's eyes regarded the individual in front of him for a few moments. "Ravenclaw?"

The blonde nodded brightly.

Alastor just sighed in response. "Yes, Harry is right. The Dark Lord is back, and, as you've figured out, I'm working security here on the Express. Now, run along; I'm working and don't need any distractions."

Luna merely nodded with a smile before leaving. After the teenager left, Alastor popped his artificial eyeball out and quietly cast several diagnostic Charms on it. He started growling after a half minute. "Bloody Crouch. No wonder I couldn't see the damn wrackspurts."

- o -

"What's wrong, Shirou?" Rin asked.

Looking up from the _Daily Prophet_, Shirou answered. "Have you read this?" he asked, pointing at a specific article in the newspaper.

After scanning the text in question, she thought for a moment. "Either Dumbledore is telling the truth, or he is lying for some sort of hidden gain. However, he is definitely not a 'lunatic', as this article claims."

"I know he's not crazy. I'm just wondering why their politicians are so bent on discrediting such a nice guy."

"Nice guy?"

"I know you're great at negotiations. However, unless Saber's Charisma Rank B was involved, there is no way we could have gotten-"

- o -

"-salaries, room, and board for four individuals so easily." McGonagall listed. "And yet despite all those benefits, their only responsibilities involve teaching two classes of combined years, an independent study, and providing security."

"Is there a problem with that, Minerva?" Dumbledore inquired.

"The problem is that you agreed to pay them for doing less work than normal professors! I can assure you that if our colleagues hear or discover this, you will not enjoy the ensuing dissension." She took a moment to calm her breathing. "Really, Albus, I respect your willingness to trust their claims, but you allowed your intellectual curiosity to get the better of you during the negotiations with Rin."

The headmaster chuckled slightly. "Minerva… I believe you have-"

- o -

"-underestimated him a bit," Rin stated.

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. Dumbledore is not just a headmaster; he is - or at least was - someone important in the government."

Shirou remained silent for a moment before palming his face. "Politics." Sighing in exasperation, he asked dully, "So, it's the Clocktower all over again?"

The female magus answered with a smile. "Right. We are an unknown-"

- o -

"-entity," Dumbledore said. "Given their stated mission in pursuing academia, I see this as a perfect opportunity to keep them-"

- o -

"-close by where we can be observed. Furthermore, we represent unknown resources to them, potentially _exploitable_-"

- o -

"-resources, which may be useful in our fight against the Dark Lord. Not as actual members of the Order or the like; I am not that presumptuous. But their foreign magics and knowledge could be of aid. At the very least, it is my understanding that it never hurts to have too many connections. By ensuring they work and reside-"

- o -

"-here, he prevents another faction from forming a stronger alliance with us, such as the Department of Mysteries. Or even this so-called-"

- o -

"-Dark Lord."

The Transfiguration professor stared at the old man. "Merlin, you took all of this into account-"

- o -

"-during the negotiations?" Shirou asked.

"Of course he did. Like I said, you underestimated him. For someone like him, this is-"

- o -

"-second nature."

McGonagall sighed. "This seems awfully manipulative of you, Headmaster."

The aged wizard responded with a madly twinkling eye. "Ah, Minerva, it is not as callous as you think considering Rin knows-"

- o -

"-this, and in fact he knows that we know that-"

- o -

"-I know this," the headmaster finished.

The old witch pinched the arch of her nose. "You are telling me, Albus, that Rin can keep-"

- o -

"-up with your madness?" Shirou half asked, half pleaded that it was not so.

"Madness?" Rin inquired with an artificially sweet smile. She raised her left index finger, where a hazy black orb began to form. "Are you implying something, Emiya-kun?"

"Wait, Rin, calm down!"

"I'll calm down after I give you a-"

- o -

"-sherbert lemon, Minerva?"

"No, thank you."

Dumbledore smiled as he took one of the candies for himself. He then poured some tea for both of them, handing her a cup. "As for Rin's disposition, actually, I wanted to inquire your opinion regarding that."

"Well, she is clearly an intelligent individual." McGonagall took a sip of the tea. "And-"

She paused and looked down into her cup before carefully taking another sip.

The headmaster smiled in amusement.

"Where did you obtain this tea, Albus?"

"A gift from our visitors. A melange of their own making, they said. I must confess to having a similar reaction when I sampled it earlier."

"Well, then, it seems our mysterious visitors have quite a few talents." She placed her cup of tea down. "As I was saying earlier, Rin is very intelligent, voraciously so. All of them seem capable, for that matter. And though I am reluctant to admit it, I suspect their breadth of knowledge exceeds ours."

"Oh, how so? I think it is obvious our magics are foreign to them just as theirs are to us."

"I was not referring to their magical knowledge. Tell me, Albus, are you familiar with the terms 'differential equations', 'molecular structure', or 'redox reactions'?"

He leaned back in thought. "Muggles refer to the basic building blocks of objects as molecules, a step above atoms. Differential equations… I believe to be an advanced mathematical concept, differing, yet similar to our Arithmancy. I want to say that it is based upon the discoveries of a muggle named Sir Isaac Newton, but I admit to being unsure of this. As for the other term you mentioned… no, I must confess to lacking that knowledge."

"Well, Charity knew less than what you just said. When we asked Shirou to explain differential equations, Septima's eyes glazed over after five minutes. Severus actually did know some of the terms and concepts used during the explanation on chemical reactions. However, when Shirou started on… what was it… reduction-oxidation processes, even Severus was unable to hide his ignorance on the topic."

"Hmm… tell me, Minerva, were the concepts actually advanced, or did they seem so merely because we wizards and witches lack the equivalent of muggle education?"

"Shirou did mention the concepts were usually taught at upper secondary school or at the university level."

Dumbledore stroked his beard in thought. This would be more evidence that these visitors had no involvement with Tom and his pureblood agenda.

- o -

When Ginny returned to their compartment from her brief chat with her boyfriend, Hermione noticed a blonde girl standing behind her.

Upon the entrance, Ron greeted his sister. "So, back from Corner?"

The youngest Weasley moved her hand towards her wand. "Yes, Ronald. Do you have an issue with that?" When Hermione slightly elbowed Ron in the ribs, Ginny appeared satisfied at the result. She then introduced the person behind her. "Everyone, this is Luna Lovegood, a friend who also lives in Ottery St. Catchpole. She's my year in Ravenclaw. Come on in, Luna."

"Thank you, Ginny," the blonde replied as she entered while dragging her trunk. Like the others, she had not changed into her uniform yet. However, she did wear some unusual jewelry. Before they had a chance to really wonder why she kept her wand above her ear, she added, "There were too many wrackspurts in my area, so I had to move."

She apparently did not notice the looks of confusion on the others. "_Wingardium Leviosa_." The Ravenclaw floated her trunk up and manually pushed it into the storage area. After sitting down, she turned suddenly to Harry with a piercing look. "You're Harry Potter."

"Er, yes," the addressed individual answered awkwardly due to the unnerving stare. Strangely enough, Hermione noticed that Luna looked at directly at the eyes, never at the scar.

"You-Know-Who is really back?"

The question immediately acquired everyone's attention.

"Yes. Yes, he is." This time, he answered definitively.

"Hmm…" Luna replied ambiguously.

Hermione watched the blonde unroll a newspaper to read. Scanning the name upside down, she saw it was the _Quibbler_. She suppressed a sigh of exasperation. While she admitted another believer would normally help the situation, apparently this person believed in conspiracy theories in general if she read the newspapers such as that one.

"Right," Ginny continued. "This is Hermione Granger, and you know Ron, of course."

"Why are you reading that upside down?" Ron asked.

"Well, it says here that if you read the runes upside down, it will reveal a spell that lets you turn your enemies' ears into kumquats," Luna explained.

In another reality, a certain bushy-haired witch would have scoffed at the myriad of notions that this Ravenclaw threw out from time to time.

In this reality, however…

"Wait, there's runic magic in there?" Hermione exclaimed. She had, of course, poured over her texts after seeing the purple-haired waitress perform the unusual magic, but the young witch had found nothing indicating the magic of runes. Further attempts at questioning the waitress had been gently rebuffed. Now, however, she found another reference.

"That's what this claims, but it doesn't seem to work," the Ravenclaw answered somewhat sadly.

"May I try?"

She waited as Luna peered at her curiously. After she received the newspaper from the younger witch, she quickly read the instructions before rotating the paper. "Hmm… I'm not seeing anything."

"Merlin, Hermione, you actually believe that?" Ron asked in surprised.

"I met a witch who used runic magic," she explained. She then lowered the paper, only to flinch backwards when she saw the Ravenclaw almost immediately in front of her.

"Runic magic?" Luna probed.

"Yes." Hermione drew her wand and waited for the other wtich to sit back. "_Flagrate_." With that incantation, the tip of her wand burned with a small flame. She then traced the _Hagalaz (_ᚺ_)_ rune in midair in front of her. "Her rune was blue and cold, though, and I think it was charged with magical power. I don't know how she accomplished it."

"Interesting…" the blonde murmured. "_Hagalaz_ means hail, so the cold makes sense."

"That's not cold, Hermione. Looks like it's on fire to me," Ron pointed out unhelpfully.

Before she could deliver an _appropriately_ worded reply, Harry interrupted. "That's just the Flagrate charm, Ron. It uses fire to draw things." He then took out his wand. "_Flagrate_." A few seconds later, he finished his writing.

**Tom Marvolo Riddle**

He then waved his wand again, and the letters rearranged themselves.

**i aM loRd voldemorT**

Silence.

"I think it would look better if you used all capital letters, mate," Ron pointed out unhelpfully.

Luna found this statement absolutely hilarious.

- o -

Fortunately, the rectangular table in the staff room had enough room for the four visible off-worlders to join the meeting. Over the course of their stay at Hogwarts, Saber and her companions had met each and every staff member there. Aside from the DADA professor who had yet to appear, they needed no more introductions. Instead of sitting at the head of the table, the headmaster sat at the middle of the long side, minimizing the average distance between him and everyone else.

Indeed, a meteor shower animated on his robes.

The gathered staff had made no comment about the long coats that Rin, Sakura, and herself wore in place of robes, though some of the female professors made more than a few glances at Shirou's outfit. Saber herself felt a bit uncomfortable in her attire. She had originally decided upon a simple suit and tie combination, similar to the outfit she wore in the Fourth Grail War. However, her companions insisted that she make at least a token effort to blend into this society. Eventually, she acceded to their wishes and allowed Shirou to purchase a long coat for her.

It was identical to Kiritsugu's coat.

So now she stood in the staff room dressed like _that man_ while waiting for the meeting to start. She kept her Mystic Code sword and scabbard attached to the outside of the coat. Created by Shirou in their home dimension as an experiment, it allowed Saber to fight without revealing any Noble Phantasms, keeping her status as a Heroic Spirit a secret from the Mage Association. Of course, the Mystic Code had nowhere the power of either Caliburn or Excalibur, but taking into account Saber's other skills and parameters, it sufficed against the average magus.

"My word! Albus, where did you get this tea?" Sprout asked.

"A gift from our visitors," Dumbledore answered with a smile as he gestured to Rin and Sakura. Several of the other staff members began sampling the tea as well.

"Merlin's beard!" the excitable Flitwick exclaimed. "I may need to speak to you about acquiring more of this."

"Oh my, this delicious," Vector agreed.

Snape said nothing, though he did raise an eyebrow after taking a sip.

"Pardon," Saber said, drawing the attention of everyone in the room with the timber of her voice. "Did you just say 'Merlin's beard'?"

"Oh, did Merlin not exist in your world?" Flitwick queried.

"He did," Saber replied slowly, suddenly having a premonition of foreboding.

"Ah, as he was the greatest wizard ever, his name is invoked often. Merlin's beard. Merlin's pants. Merlin's wand. Exclamations of that sort," the short professor explained.

The years of kingship provided Arturia Pendragon the discipline to suppress her eye from twitching.

"So your society venerates him that much?" Sakura asked.

"Indeed. How about your world?"

"He has historical significance as a magus, but he is not revered to the degree that we invoke his name in such a manner."

Saber knew that her master would absolutely tease her about this later. Nonetheless, she had to ask, "Merlin's... pants?"

"Ah, yes," the Charms professor said as he turned back to the swordswoman. "A bit crude, but not as vulgar some of the other expressions involving… uh, more vulgarity."

Saber ignored the tautological explanation, and, instead, she stated resolutely, "Merlin did not wear pants." _Everyone_ stared at her. She could even feel Rider's gaze… despite the fact that the gorgon wore the world's most powerful blindfold… and was hiding invisibly on a wall. The King of Knights, however, had much experience as the center of attention and thus felt no discomfort whatsoever.

"You must have the rare Inner Eye!" Trelawney declared. "Instead of seeing the future, you have glimpses of the past."

Expressions of amusement and exasperation showed on the various individuals in the room. "A squib with the Inner Eye?" Snape drawled.

"Not quite," Rin explained, able to discern the meaning of the phrase "Inner Eye" from context. "Saber is something of an expert on Arthurian lore." Seeing the simple explanation satisfy the staff (and disappoint Trelawney), no one made a move to elaborate.

"Well then, let's get this meeting started, shall we?" Dumbledore began. "First off, please remember the extra security measures for this year. All of you have been keyed into the Anti-Intruder Jinx on Hogwarts grounds. Argus and Saber, I understand it may be inconvenient, but you will need a wi-" he paused as he glanced at the other off-worlders. "Both of you will need a spellcaster to allow you in. However, since you two are also keyed in, even the students can open the main gate for you so long as you are accompanying them."

The two addressed nodded. The blonde Servant was certain she could channel prana into the Bounded Field to allow herself in, but made no mention of this.

"Those of you attached to the Floo Network in your offices, please double-check that they are locked when not in use. Lastly, we shall be doubling the number of chaperones on Hogsmeade trips. Fortunately, the DMLE has been willing to cooperate with us and spare an auror or two for these weekends."

"_Saber?_" Rin asked telepathically.

"_Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Aurors are the wizard's equivalent of police."_

"_Thank you._"

As she listened to the headmaster's words with half an ear, Saber assessed the Hogwarts staff. Based on their interactions and body language, she saw an informal hierarchy. Dumbledore resided at the top, followed by the four Head of Houses, with McGonagall having a slight edge amongst the four. The remaining wizards and witches made up the following layer, with Trelawney near the bottom. Even the substitute teacher Grubbly-Plank seemed to have more respect than the Divination teacher. Lastly, Filch held the lowest position, probably because of a combination of his status as a squib, his actual job description, or his overall unpleasant demeanor.

"Due to last year's success," Dumbledore continued onward, "we shall be hosting another Yule Ball this year, perhaps making it an annual event at Hogwarts. We have already notified the parents of this, along with logistical information. Volunteers for chaperones would be appreciated. Furthermore, all of you are invited to bring a guest as well; I'd like to see the Yule Ball be a social event for the staff as well."

"Will the event be restricted to fourth year and above, again?" Sprout asked.

"Yes, it will. We are already making a change in customs by hosting the Yule Ball independent of the Triwizard Tournament, and I felt altering another variable may alienate a few of the more traditional families."

Saber registered the implication behind the statement with little surprise. She had long since become accustomed to the idea of wealthy family lines throwing their weight around. A prestigious institution like Hogwarts would not be immune to this.

"Lastly…" the headmaster hesitated, before announcing reluctantly, "The DADA professor shall be arriving in a bit, about a half hour before the students reach Hogsmeade."

"Who is it this year?" Flitwick inquired.

"A Ministry employee." Dumbledore breathed out in a manner that almost but did not quite seem like a sigh. He shuffled a few papers in front of him, stopping at a particular one. "I have the exact wording right here. 'Given the nature of certain declarations made by various individuals from Hogwarts, the Ministry has deemed it necessary to ensure that the next generation of wizards and witches receive the highest caliber of instruction in Defense Against the Dark Arts'."

The staff took a few moments to digest this announcement. Snape responded first, "Impressive. The careful phrasing does not actually counter your stance, and, in fact, can be interpreted as supporting instead. Dare I ask who?"

"Dolores Umbridge, Senior undersecretary to Minister of Magic." Only a clueless person would fail to sense the displeasure permeating the room. While not everyone had the opportunity to meet this aforementioned individual, those that did clearly held unfavorable countenances.

"_I imagine the 'certain declarations' refer to the announcement about this Dark Lord with no name._" Rin sent telepathically.

"_I believe so. We should ask more later, in private. It is clear not all the staff here mire themselves in politics. He will not reveal as much right now."_

"_How about we ask McGonagall? If Dumbledore is always busy, then perhaps we should aim to become more familiar with the next person in charge."_

Saber considered this for a moment. "_That would be an acceptable course of action. In addition to your reasoning, I gather that Dumbledore usually takes the 'mysterious and wise' approach when dealing with others._" An image of Merlin flashed through her mind. "_We seem to be the exception, due to circumstances. However, if he decides to do so with us as well in the future, then having Deputy Headmistress's ear would be very practical._"

"_Alright, then we can gather more information later. I had not expected government level politics so soon. Hopefully, we do not regret the decision to work at Hogwarts._"

- o -

"... a combination of Dark Arts and gum disease," Luna explained.

Hermione looked at the blonde incredulously. "You believe Aurors are giving Ministry wizards gum disease."

"Yes. It's common knowledge."

"Okay..." the bushy-haired witch replied. The amusement on the faces of the other Gryffindors did not help any. After the conversation regarding runic magic, the Ravenclaw had apparently decided that she found a kindred soul regarding esoteric knowledge. This led to her describing an array of most likely imaginary creatures as well as absurd notions, such as the current topic, the Rotfang Conspiracy.

"Now, I'm not sure if they are using Dark Arts to make gum disease directly, or if they are doing it another way," she added.

"Right," Hermione responded while rubbing a temple. Deciding to humor the Ravenclaw, she asked, "So, which gum disease is it?"

The blonde blinked in confusion. "Is there more than one type of gum disease?"

"Yes. Gingivitis and periodontitis." She kept to herself that the latter was basically caused by the former.

"I guess it would be the one caused by invisible creatures breeding underneath your teeth."

"You mean bacteria? Both are caused by bacteria, actually."

The expressions on the Weasleys went from amusement to utter shock. Harry covered his grin. Luna's demeanor changed into sharp interest.

"Bacteria?" The Ravenclaw half inquired, half parroted, trying to get a feel for the pronunciation of the new word. "Is that the name of the creature? How do they stay invisible?"

"Yes. Well, not really a creature. They are single-celled organisms, which also means they are so small you cannot see them."

"Merlin!" Ron interrupted. "You mean one Luna's invisible creatures actually exists?"

"Of course, Ronald," the blonde responded. "Why would I talk about them if they do not exist?" Everyone else refrained from expressing an honest opinion to that question. "So, the Aurors are using Dark Magic to create these bacterias to give the Ministry workers gum disease…" she trailed off in thought.

"Bacteria, Luna," Hermione corrected. "Bacteria is plural. Bacterium is singular." She paused for a moment, recognizing that she was now actually enjoying this conversation given that some of it revolved around facts. "You acquire gum disease if you do not take care of your teeth, or if you eat too many sugary foods. If you want, I can owl my parents to send some pamphlets about gum disease. They'd be more than happy to do that."

Luna gasped. "You parents know about the Rotfang Conspiracy?"

"No, they are dentists." At the blank look, she clarified, "Muggle healers for teeth and gums."

"Oh! In that case, can they confirm if the muggle government is secretly fighting the Rotfang Conspiracy by putting muggle healing potions into Britain's food supply?"

"It's not a secret at all. The government puts a fluoride compound in the drinking water. Not the food, though."

"Wait, really?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Yes, Harry. The average person consumes too much sugar, so this helps prevent some health issues."

"Huh, I never knew that," Harry said. The Weasley siblings silently looked between the two muggle-raised wizard and witch.

"Anyways, it has nothing to do with a Rotfang Conspiracy, Luna." Coming to a decision, Hermione stood up and went for her trunk. After digging a bit, she pulled out a thick book. "Here, this is a muggle biology book. There's a bit in here on bacteria in general. It doesn't talk about the ones that cause gum disease specifically, though."

"You mean there is more than one type of this invisible creature?" Ginny asked, somewhat dazed by the fact that _Hermione_ of all people confirmed the existence of one of Luna's creatures.

The addressed individual snorted in amusement. "Ginny, there are more types of bacteria than there are types of plants."

"Excuse me?" Luna pointed to a word in the book. "What's a cell?"

Hermione answered by giving a practical demonstration of a book's index.

- o -

"Deputy Headmistress?"

The addressed individual turned to the voice. "Yes, Saber?"

"Do you perchance have a few moments for a small discussion?"

"Certainly. My office?"

The swordswoman nodded her assent and followed. When they reached the portrait protecting her office, McGonagall stated the passphrase, "Lion's Pride." After entering, she noticed Saber suddenly stopping, the blonde's gaze on a large tapestry hanging on a wall. It depicted a collage of three warriors. To the left, a wounded man held onto a spear, his body partially lashed to a boulder. To the right, a bearded, mustached man stood proud bearing a sword and shield, while a baldrick hung across his shoulder and body. In the center, a tall warrior with black hair and blue eyes wielded a decorated, jeweled greatsword.

"The Hound of Ulster, Cú Chulainn," Saber stated. "The Renowned General, William Wallace."

McGonagall nodded.

"I do not recognize the center figure."

The Transfiguration professor raised an eyebrow. "That is surprising, considering what was mentioned in the meeting just now. That is King Arthur."

The blonde turned sharply at the explanation. She seemed to struggle with her next few words. "I… suppose the artist took some liberties."

"Perhaps." The elder witch gestured to a chair with a smile. "Let's make ourselves comfortable. What would you like to discuss?"

Her guest took the proffered seat with grace. "It is time we are enlightened regarding the uncomfortable topic everyone has deliberately avoided."

The professor blinked at the request before softly sighing in resignation. "That topic requires more than a few moments, unfortunately."

"Then, we shall limit the discussion to what is relevant to castle security."

"Your dedication is appreciated," McGonagall commented. "However, your job responsibilities are limited to patrolling for students out past curfew or the like. Protecting Hogwarts from the forces of You-Know-Who are beyond the scope of your duties."

Saber narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. "And if such adversaries attacked Hogwarts? What would be the scope of my duties then?"

She noted the small change in her guest's expression, and to be truthful it made her a bit nervous. "Hogwarts has numerous magical protections. If they so foolishly attack, then your duty would be to round up the students while the professors engage the Death Eaters."

The swordswoman stared at the professor for over a half minute, and the latter felt as if under scrutiny. Loathe as she was to admit it, she felt intimidated by the intense gaze and had to forcefully suppress fidgeting.

"Very well. Placing priority on the students' safety is acceptable," Saber declared.

The tension disappeared a bit, and McGonagall most definitely did not release a sigh of relief. "Now then, as to the specifics of You-Know-Who himself…"

- o -

Harry looked up when he heard the knocking on their compartment door. Sitting closest to the door, Ginny opened it, revealing a very pretty Cho Chang. Unlike the three occupants in the room, she had already changed into her Hogwarts uniform.

"Hello, Harry." Looking at the other two members present, she greeted them as well. "Luna. Umm… Ginerva, right?"

"No, it's Gine_vra_. But Ginny is fine."

"Oh, sorry, Ginny."

"Are you here for prefect business?" Luna asked, still entranced with the biology book in her lap. "Ronald and Hermione are on a patrol right now. Hopefully they stay away from the wrackspurts."

"Oh, no…" Cho trailed off in confusion. She then looked at Harry nervously. "Um… Harry, can we talk? In private?"

"Sure, Cho." As he rose to leave, he saw Ginny give him an unreadable look.

Walking through the Hogwarts express, Harry tried to quell the butterflies in his stomach. Sirius's ribald advice on how to court Cho (or any female) did not help in this regard. Eventually, the two found an empty compartment and sat down facing each other.

The young Asian fiddled with her long hair. "So… how was your summer?"

He thought back to the past two months. "It was very busy. Yours?"

"I… well… I've had better…" she trailed off hesitantly.

Sensing something amiss, he asked, "Are you alright?"

She took a deep breath. "Can you tell me what happened to Cedric?"

Oh.

_Oh._

Of course. That would be the only reason she wanted to speak with Harry. Why would he expect an attractive girl like Cho to actually want to speak to _him_?

Sigh…

- o -

After Saber entered their suite and closed the door, Rider materialized for the ensuing discussion. In the time the King of Knights had traversed the castle to their rooms, Rin had given everyone a synopsis of the meeting with McGonagall, as she had witnessed it through Servant's eyes and ears.

"What was your impression?" Rin asked. Seeing through Saber's eyes was different from actually being there.

"McGonagall certainly believed what she said," Saber stated. "However, she had not witnessed any of the relevant events, aside from the previous year's professor under magical disguise."

Rin tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Assuming this is true, then this is a credible threat. Any individual capable of terrorizing a society of wizards at the level of Age of Gods cannot be dismissed. Especially if most people are afraid to simply say his name. However, I am unsure of the resurrection portion."

"Heaven's Feel?" Sakura suggested. She was, of course, referencing the general Third Magic, not the ritual of the same name.

"Maybe. Maybe not. I think more investigation is necessary before solidifying an opinion on that particular matter." Rin turned to the sole male in the room. "Shirou, are you going to play superhero?"

Said hero frowned at the tone of the question, but answered it anyways. "This dark lord is currently in hiding. If he has been making attacks, then the government would not be denying Dumbledore's claims. There's not much we can do if this person is biding his time. I don't mind protecting hundreds of children in the meantime."

"Good," Rin said in relief.

"Well, I guess I could put myself out as bait and engage him if he appears and-"

"NO!" all four females declared.

"It was just an idea…" he grumbled, looking aside to avoid three penetrating gazes and one penetrating blind-gaze.

"Will this change our agenda here?" Sakura queried.

"Unsure," Rin answered. "Let's consider the situation from a native outsider's perspective. At first, Dumbledore is making the outrageous claim that this dark lord has been resurrected. Now, on top of that, he will be making the outrageous claim that four dimensional travelers have arrived and will be teaching at his school. He already lost two political titles due to the first claim; I cannot imagine this will make things better for him. Furthermore, unlike the first claim, the second one can be investigated."

Saber nodded in agreement. "Meaning their government will be questioning us at some point. More than likely, it will be through this Undersecretary person."

Sakura tilted her head in thought. "Saber, would you be able to persuade this person to believe us? I know you do not like to exploit your Charisma, but in this case we are telling the truth."

"I doubt that will work." All eyes turned to Rider after her statement. "If we are keeping up appearances, then they place no value on a Saber because she is considered a squib."

"Rider's assessment has validity," the other Servant agreed.

"I think you are underestimating your own Charisma, Saber," Rin commented. "Regardless, we shall continue forward with our current plans. Undoubtedly, both the Hogwarts staff and the government will use the class we teach as an assessment of our claims."

"What about this Harry Potter person?" Shirou interjected. "He is the one who actually witnessed the resurrection. Dumbledore is only backing him."

Saber nodded. "McGonagall mentioned he held his own against this dark lord before escaping. If Harry Potter is telling the truth, then the level of his abilities are not insignificant."

"Considering they can transfigure a button to a beetle at age twelve, I'm inclined to believe all students have significant abilities," Rin remarked. "She said he was a fifth year student?"

"Yes," the blonde Servant confirmed. "Fifteen is not so far from seventeen." She looked pointedly at Rin and Shirou. The Fifth Grail War occurred when they were seventeen.

"I can observe him," Rider suggested. Of course, by _observe_, she really meant _stalk_. The others all turned to Sakura, as it was her decision.

"No," she decided. "For now, if we wish to investigate him, then we should use less invasive methods."

"Yes, Master."

- o -

Alone with an attractive maiden...

In a cozy environment...

Candle Conjuration, Incendio Charm, and Hover Charm at the ready... (Three times as magical as the Bluebell Flames!)

And said maiden in need of emotional comfort and support…

Alas, all undone by the fact that a crying Cho Chang… was not a sight to behold.

Harry sat there, unsure if he should continue. He had started his story at the beginning of the Third Task, but he trailed off when he reached "bone of father", as he felt certain the witch had stopped listening to him after he described Cedric's death. Trying but failing to suppress a sigh, he thought about how this scene most certainly did not match his expectations of "alone time" with the gorgeous Cho Chang. Taking his wand out, he uttered an incantation.

"_Creare Vestis_."

Handkerchief Conjuration. He had learned a hodge podge of spells over the summer from remodeling the mansion. Looking at the Ravenclaw, he repeated the Charm thrice more before handing the pile of cloth over. After an uncomfortable amount of time, the witch finally managed to somewhat compose herself. Harry had considered leaving, but another part of him wanted to stay with the girl he had been crushing on for over a year.

"Thank you, Harry," she said in between sniffles.

"Sure."

The two sat in silence. Harry struggled to find something to fill the void, and after a minute he found a question related to their somber topic.

"Do you believe me?" he asked tentatively.

Her expression showed surprise at the question. "Of course, I do."

"Oh, thank Merlin," he sighed in relief.

"Why wouldn't I?" This time, honest confusion reigned on her face.

"Have you been reading the Prophet lately?" He watched Cho think for a moment before realization dawned upon her. "Right. The Ministry thinks I'm lying, and that rag's just going with that. I'm sure no one will believe me at school. It'll be like last year all over again."

"Oh… um… we didn't believe you put your name in the Goblet."

"Ah… thanks."

She fidgeted a bit. "Is it alright if I ask you to finish your story?"

"Oh, right." Harry thought for a moment. Perhaps it would be better if she viewed the entire pensieve memory? But then she would see Priori Incantatem, the mechanics of which may be better kept a secret. On the other hand, a bunch of Death Eaters and Voldemort himself saw what happened, so there was not much of a secret to keep. He then recalled Dumbledore's caution of handling the memory discretely, but at the same time the headmaster was in agreement in allowing the Diggorys access to it. She was Cedric's girlfriend; was it right of them to keep the knowledge from her?

Actually, Harry had another option, though he had doubts to its wisdom. If talented enough, a Legilimens can create fake "memories" for someone to experience. While normally done out of malice, the experience can actually encompass anything, including a real memory. Thus, a Legilimens can share a memory with another wizard without a pensieve.

Unfortunately, Harry's Legilimency skill still needed improvement...

- o -

_1995, August 21, Monday, in a Potterverse…_

"_No."_

"_But-" Hermione began._

"_No!" Alastor answered definitively. "Legilimency is a dark art. I thought you were smart; how can you even think I'd teach you how to invade other people's minds. Me of all people!"_

"_But we have good reasons!" Hermione claimed. As discussed beforehand, Harry and Ron remained silent while Hermione did the talking._

"_Oh really," the retired auror said sarcastically. "By all means, go ahead."_

_The witch then pulled out five feet, ten inches of parchment written with her impeccable script._

_Constant Vigilance, meet Bushy Bookworm._

"_Cor, you actually wrote a whole essay?" Alastor exclaimed, focusing on the essay with both eyes._

_The young witch beamed a smile as she handed it over. Grumbling at how he was never actually a professor, the Alastor read through it. The three teenagers waited patiently._

"_So, in summary, you have three reasons," he stated. "One, the main reason: you want use Legilimency on each other to improve Occlumency so that you do not have to learn from Snape. Two, you want to use surface Legilimency during dueling. Three, aurors are allowed to learn Legilimency, and since two out of three of you want to be Aurors, you're just learning ahead of time."_

"_Yes," Hermione confirmed._

_Ron furrowed his brow in thought. "Hermione, how did you write over five feet just from that?"_

"_I listed examples of teenage wizards with positive reputations who learned Legilimency and accomplished various deeds. I also listed examples of wizards with positive reputations - not limited to teenagers - who died in situations where using Legilimency in a non-abusive manner would have saved their lives. Then, I listed various spells that are borderline dark that Aurors use that can be learned by non-Aurors or Auror cadets in training. Finally, I pointed out that Hogwarts restricted section has books that teach abusable spells like Obliviation. If we can be trusted with that, then we can be trusted with Legilimency."_

_The older wizard snorted. "That argument doesn't work, lass. Otherwise someone like Malfoy's spawn can demand to learn Legilimency. Can you look me in the eye and say he has the right to make that demand based on your logic?"_

_Hermione looked Alastor right in the eye… and nothing came out._

_Holy hell, Constant Vigilance just out-argued Bushy Bookworm._

_The older wizard tossed the essay over his shoulder. "I'm not teaching you, Granger." He then turned to Harry. "Potter, I'll teach you, and only you."_

'_What? But-"_

"_Enough! No more compromises, Granger."_

"_Why?"_

_Everyone turned to Harry._

"_Why would you teach me? Why would you trust me more than Ron and Hermione?"_

_Alastor harrumphed. "I've been going through your memories for the past month, Potter. I think I have a judge of your character by now. You can work on Granger's and Weasley's Occlumency, but you still need to go to Snape. If Albus needs you to learn Occlumency, then you need to learn from a professional. You won't get far enough with an amateur Legilimens."_

_Harry considered the offer. A chance to keep his friends from getting mind raped by Snape? "Fine."_

"_Good. Now, one more thing."_

"_What?"_

"Legilimens_!"_

_Alastor was always rough in his lessons, but this particular attack could only be described as vicious and brutal._

_A familiar room. One he saw from his own memories his third year._

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead-"

"This is my last warning-"

"Not Harry! Please ... have mercy ... Not Harry! Please - I'll do anything..."

_He watched helplessly as his mother dropped lifelessly._

"_So, this is your dementor memory?" a voice rasped out._

_Turning to the voice, Harry saw Alastor leaning against a wall of the room. Rage filled the teenager as he realized what just happened. Without realizing it, he shifted from his infant body into his teenage one. "You!" he snarled, pulling his wand out. "You fucking arsehole!"_

"_Five years, Potter."_

"_What?!"_

"_Illegal use of Legilimency is a five year sentence at Azkaban. Five years of this memory, every day, every night."_

_The young wizard's teeth gnashed as his empty hand clenched into a fist._

"_You make me regret teaching you Legilimency, and I'll throw you in there myself."_

_He breathed in and out heavily._

"_Now, calm down and kick me out of your mind. Anger makes it worse."_

_Eventually, after quite some time, Harry's consciousness entered reality again. He lay on the floor panting for air, tears flowing freely. He barely registered Hermione fussing over him and Ron yelling something at the retired auror._

"_We clear, Potter," the ex-auror's voice cut through the confusion._

_He looked up at his teacher. "Crystal," he gritted out._

- o -

"They're almost at Hogwarts, right? Sirius remarked, looking at a clock. Then, he realized how he sounded. "You know, I honestly didn't think I'd ever feel like a parent."

Remus looked up from his book, _King Arthur, the Man, the Myth, the Legend_. Sirius sat at his chair with his leg bouncing up and down. "What do you mean?" Remus asked.

"Well, sending Harry out to Hogwarts: that's supposed to be James's and Lily's job. All I'm supposed to do is slip prank stuff into Harry's trunk and tell him about the secret passages."

Remus thought for a moment, reading between the lines. "You're worried."

"Of course I'm worried! You-Know-Who is back!" Sirius shouted. "And I'm stuck here playing host and secretary to the Order."

The calmer of the two refrained from commenting on how such a role actually did help in the grand scheme of things, as he knew Sirius preferred more direct actions. "At least, this place is no longer a hell hole."

Sirius looked around the room. With Dobby's help, along with a flagrant disregard to the Underage Magic Laws, the commonly used parts of the Black mansion had undergone repairs, cleaning, magical and mundane pest extermination, and various remodeling improvements. For sure, much work remained, but Grimmauld place had transitioned from "hideous" to "tolerable".

"Still rather be out there than in here," Sirius sulked.

"Well, I have an idea, to at least keep yourself busy."

"What?"

Remus decided against the suggestion of fixing the remaining sections of the mansion. "Well, you can take up Lily's role in the war."

Sirius frowned in confusion. "What do you mean? She went out fighting Death Eaters with us."

"Not as often as us. But I was more referring to how she healed us after the fights and brewed the potions she used. Having a handy potion stockpile here at headquarters would be a good idea." Remus then sighed as he closed his book. "You remember Harry's stories, right? He's been hospitalized each year he's been at Hogwarts. I don't think Poppy would mind a donation of potions."

"Wait," Sirius countered. "Isn't it Snivellus's job to keep Hogwart's full of potions? Why should we be doing that?"

Remus paused for a moment before speaking very slowly. "Sirius... are you suggesting... that we... trust Snape?"

Sirius shot to his feet, raising one finger to the air. "To the potions lab!" he declared as he raced out of the room. Remus chuckled as he placed his book on a side table and followed at a more sedate pace.

"_Riddikulus_!" A whip-crack sounded in the air. "Hey, Moony, want to see You-Know-Who sing _I'm a Little Teapot?_"

- o -

Adjusting his tie with one hand, Harry stepped off of the Hogwarts Express with his friends. He had barely enough time to change into his uniform after his conversation with Cho. With no moon out that evening, he decided he needed some light.

"_Lumos_."

Able to see better, he noticed the horseless carriages were not so horseless anymore. "What in the name of Morgana are those things?" He whispered, shining his light on one of the creatures.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Those things pulling the carriages?"

"What?" Ron repeated.

"Harry, what are you talking about?" Hermione asked in confusion.

"Oh, those are thestrals." Not surprisingly, Luna had a name for this creature.

"Winged horses, really bony?" Harry asked. "Fangs?"

"Mmhmm," the Ravenclaw confirmed. "Don't worry, the Hogwarts herd of thestrals are domesticated. You should be careful if you see a wild one, though."

"Harry, I don't see anything," Ginny said nervously. Clearly the verification of yet another one of Luna's creatures disturbed her. Also, she probably remembered the last time Harry sensed a creature that nobody else perceived.

Bloody basilisk.

"I don't think anyone else does," he remarked as he looked around his fellow students.

"Oh!" Hermione gasped.

"Well, whatever," Ron said dismissing the topic. "I don't see horses, but I do see Neville. Let's go." Hermione frowned slightly, but decided to let go of whatever bothered her.

With Feather-Light Charms on their trunks and Lumos brightening the way, the five wizards and witches navigated their way through the darkness. Eventually, they made it over to Neville, who seemed to be struggling with opening a carriage door as he had his hands full with his trunk and some potted plant.

"Hey, Neville," Harry greeted with a smile. "How was… uhhh…"

The reason for the hesitation: a powerful smell of manure emanated from the Gryffindor.

"Oh, hi guys," Neville greeted in embarrassment.

"Ees that a Meembulus Meembletonia?" Luna asked, her hand pinching her nose shut as she walked up to examine the cactus-like plant.

"Err, yes, a Mimbulus Mimbletonia," Neville confirmed uncomfortably, as the young blonde apparently had little concept of personal space. He then turned to the others and pleaded, "Could one of you help me get this stinksap off my hand and wand? My plant burst while on the train, and I was able to Scourgify everything else but this. Guess I can't clean something if I'm not aiming my wand at it."

"Oh dear. I must not have taught it to you properly last year," Hermione admonished herself. "I'm so sorry, Neville."

"It's alright, Hermione. Glad you taught me enough to clean everything else."

Harry waved his wand in an S shape, and the stinksap disappeared. He waved his wand again, this time in a whip-like motion. "_Ventus_." A gust of wind erupted from his wand, blowing the unpleasant smell away while also unsettling their robes quite a bit.

"Blimey!" the grateful Gryffindor exclaimed. "Did you cast the Scouring Charm silently?"

"Er, yeah… I had a *lot* of practice with that charm this summer," Harry explained. He then stared at the giant horse attached to the carriage. "Seriously, you guys can't see this?" Pause. "I mean besides Luna?"

"See what?" Neville asked.

"The big, bony, invisible, winged horse, mate," Ron snarked.

"Of course we can see it, Harry," he answered, missing the tone of voice. "I mean it's dark out, sure, but you're shining your wand right at it. Wait, what do you mean by invisible, Ron?"

"Wait, you see them too?"

"It's because they're thestrals," Hermione began lecturing. "You cannot see one unless-"

"Students," a cultured voice interrupted. The group turned to the source.

Harry would always remember this moment. The figure before him was beautiful, stunningly so. However, her very presence screamed severity. As he adjusted his tie self-consciously, he noticed other details, such as her relatively close age, the muggle coat, and the sheathed sword at her side.

His instincts told him this woman knew how to use that sword.

"Is something amiss?"

The question snapped them out of their thoughts. Hermione recovered first. "Um, excuse me. Are you a prefect? I did not see you at the prefect meeting."

The swordswoman turned toward Hermione. "No, I am a security guard for Hogwarts castle. You may refer to me as Saber."

Harry blinked at surprise. Despite the weekly visits from the professors involved with the Order of the Phoenix, none of them mentioned anything regarding this. While he refrained from participating in the meetings, Sirius had told him everything that the Order discussed within them. It made some sense, though, with Voldemort back. However, he wondered how effective a swordswoman would fare against a Death Eater. She certainly carried herself in a confident manner. He concluded that she probably had a wand as well.

And Saber? What kind of name is that?

"Has an issue arisen preventing you from completing your journey to the castle?" the swordswoman asked.

Harry took a moment to parse the question. "Yes. What is this thing?" he asked, pointing at the giant horse.

She glanced at the beast. "I have been informed the thestrals, despite appearing somewhat intimidating, are quite domesticated. Furthermore, these beasts have been utilized in this fashion for quite a few years." She then turned to Harry. "Are you perchance a new transfer? You need not worry; they shall fulfill their task well enough."

"Wait. These things have been here all this time?"

"Yeah," Neville responded in confusion. "Frightened me to pieces second year." He watch the thestral snort. "Still scares me, to be honest."

"Why am I only seeing them now? I didn't see them when we left last term."

"I still can't see them," Ginny muttered.

Hermione resumed her lecture. "Because, as I was saying, the only people who can see Thestrals are those who have seen and accepted death." And then she realized what she just said. "I mean… that's why… um…"

Neville looked at the ground, shuffling his shoes. Luna looked intensely busy examining her necklace.

"Young wizard," Saber said solemnly. "You have my condolences on your recent loss."

The statement caught everyone by surprise. Harry turned sharply to the swordswoman; he did not detect any insincerity on her calm expression. After a few moments, he replied with equal levity. "Thank you."

The woman held his gaze a little longer before addressing the group as a whole. "Now, we have delayed long enough. A ceremony and feast awaits you; any tardiness would be an insult to the toils of others."

Hermione raised a finger and opened her mouth… only to lower her finger and close her mouth afterwards as she furrowed her brow. Harry knew she had thought of the kitchen elves, but this swordswoman technically did not insult them. In fact, she had encouraged the students to appreciate the elves' efforts.

As Ron and Neville began loading their trunks into the carriage, Saber left the students to their task. Harry considered his impression of her. She seemed nice enough, he supposed. Terribly formal, though. And, to be honest, a bit intimidating.

When everyone finished and closed the door, the carriage began moving. Ron broke the silence first. "She has her priorities straight."

Ginny glanced at her brother. "Dare I ask what you mean by that?"

"Can't be late for the feast," he answered with a satisfied smile.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'm certain, Ron, that she is nowhere near the glutton you are."

- o -

"Did I just… feel your sneeze through our telepathic link."

"I… am unsure."

"Because if we can send tactile sensations through our link, then our next prana exchange ritual will involve a few experiments…"

"..."

"..."

"It would be best to inform Shirou of this as late as possible."

It would not do if he escaped, after all.


End file.
